parsec.

An astronomical distance unit equal to about 3.26 light-years, defined through the angle subtended by one astronomical unit.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• several parsecs
• a distance in parsecs

On the page

The source lay several parsecs beyond the inhabited system.

She converted the distance in parsecs before comparing it with the vessel’s travel model.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Singular parsec; plural parsecs. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.