satellite

[/ˈsætəlaɪt/]
nounmasculinepl: satellites
satélite
1. An artificial object placed in orbit around Earth or another planet in order to collect information or for communication
The weather satellite provides real-time data about atmospheric conditions.
O satélite meteorológico fornece dados em tempo real sobre as condições atmosféricas.
2. A natural celestial body that orbits a larger celestial body
The Moon is Earth's natural satellite.
A Lua é o satélite natural da Terra.
3. A country or organization that is controlled by or dependent on a more powerful one
The smaller nation became a satellite state of the larger empire.
A nação menor tornou-se um estado satélite do império maior.
4. A person or thing that is dependent on or subordinate to another
He was dismissed as a mere satellite of the CEO's vision.
Ele foi dispensado como mero satélite da visão do CEO.
In Brazil, 'satélite' commonly refers to both artificial satellites used for telecommunications (particularly TV Globo's satellite broadcasting) and the ring of satellite cities (cidades satélites) surrounding major metropolitan areas like São Paulo and Brasília. The term became culturally significant in Brazil during the expansion of satellite television in the 1990s and 2000s, which brought media access to remote regions.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
orbiterspacecraftmoondependentsubordinate
Antonyms / Antônimos
independentautonomoussovereign

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
satélite
Standard term used across all of Brazil for both artificial and natural satellites
São Paulo
satélite
Common usage; also used in contexts of satellite cities (cidades satélites) around the metropolis
Rio de Janeiro
satélite
Standard usage; satellite television (TV satélite) is commonly referenced
Portugal
satélite
Identical usage in European Portuguese; same pronunciation and application

Related Words

orbitcelestialtransmissioncommunicationsspaceastronomy

Related Idioms & Phrases

satellite television
satellite dish
satellite state
satellite campus
satellite office
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