A*nom"a*ly (?), n.; pl.
Anomalies (?). [L. anomalia, Gr. ?. See
Anomalous.] 1. Deviation from the common rule;
an irregularity; anything anomalous.
We are enabled to unite into a consistent whole the various
anomalies and contending principles that are found in the minds and
affairs of men.
Burke.
As Professor Owen has remarked, there is no greater
anomaly in nature than a bird that can not fly.
Darwin.
2. (Astron.) (a) The angular
distance of a planet from its perihelion, as seen from the sun. This is the
true anomaly. The eccentric anomaly is a corresponding angle
at the center of the elliptic orbit of the planet. The mean anomaly
is what the anomaly would be if the planet's angular motion were
uniform. (b) The angle measuring apparent
irregularities in the motion of a planet.
3. (Nat. Hist.) Any deviation from the
essential characteristics of a specific type.