From Middle English galaxye, galaxie, from Old French galaxie, from Latin galaxias, from Ancient Greek γαλαξίας, shortening of γαλαξίας κύκλος ("milky circle"), from γάλα ("milk").

• (British, America) IPA: /ˈɡæl.ək.si/

galaxy (plural galaxies)

1. (now rare) The Milky Way; the apparent band of concentrated stars which appears in the night sky over earth. [from 14th c.]
   • 1633, John Donne, Sapho to Philænis:

     So may thy cheekes red outweare scarlet dye, / And their white, whitenesse of the Galaxie [...].

2. (galaxy) Any of the collections of many millions or billions of stars, galactic dust, black holes, etc. existing as independent and coherent systems, of which there are billions in the known universe. [from 19th c.]
3. (figuratively) An assemblage of things or people seen as luminous or brilliant.
4. (fashion, design) Any print or pattern reminiscent of a galaxy, generally consisting of blending, semiopaque patches of vibrant color on a dark background.

• (astronomy) G (abbreviation), star city, trichiliocosm (in Buddhism)

• French: galaxie
• German: Galaxie, Galaxis, Welteninsel
• Italian: galassia
• Portuguese: galáxia
• Russian: гала́ктика
• Spanish: galaxia

galaxy (galaxies, present participle galaxying; simple past and past participle galaxied)

1. To furnish with galaxies.
   • 1838, John Edmund Reade, Italy: a poem, in six parts, page 138:

     In dazzling light expands the mighty Dome: / Mirror of Heaven,—but Heaven when she doth wear / All galaxied with Stars her flashing hair!

   • 2018, Adrian G. R. Scott, “A Canticle to Creatureliness”, in A Night Sea Journey:

     To be dwarfed in a galaxied sky, / doming, arcing, and revolving over / The little space I briefly occupy.

2. (archaic) To gather together into a luminous whole.
   • 1702, Cotton Mather, “[Book III (Polybius. […]).] Chapter I. Remains of the First Classis.”, in Magnalia Christi Americana: Or, the Ecclesiastical History of New-England, from Its First Planting in the Year 1620. unto the Year of Our Lord, 1698. […], London: […] Thomas Parkhurst, […], →OCLC ↗, 4th part (Remains: Or, Shorter Accounts of Sundry Divines, […]), page 213 ↗, column 1:

     Let all their Vertues then be Galaxied into this one Indiſtinct Luſtre, they vvere Faithful Servants of Chriſt, and Sufferers for their being ſo.

   • 1844, Horace Smith, Arthur Arundel: A Tale of the English Revolution, volume 1, page 172:

     How dazzling must their brightness be when they are galaxied in a single bosom!

1. (astronomy, dated, now, proscribed) The Milky Way Galaxy.
   • 1380, Geoffrey Chaucer, The House of Fame:

     See yonder, lo, the Galaxyë / Which men clepeth the Milky Wey, / For hit is whyt.

   • 1633, John Donne, Sapho to Philænis:

     So may thy cheekes red outweare scarlet dye, / And their white, whitenesse of the Galaxie […]

• Milky Way Galaxy
• Milky Way
• Local Galaxy