Home › Glossary › Letter C

Combust

Astrology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A planet within 8.5° of the Sun, considered weakened or hidden, symbolizing obscured potential. In poetry, combustion evokes burning passions or eclipsed identities.

Detailed Definition
Combustion, from medieval Arabic astrology, implies solar domination, muting planetary expression. Poets like Shakespeare in sonnets use it for love's consuming fire. Literary applications denote suppression, as in tragic arcs. The term's fiery imagery poeticizes intensity, where solar blaze devours lesser lights, mirroring themes of dominance, sacrifice, and the struggle for visibility in relational or personal infernos.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare's "King Lear," combust sun blinds: "The combust king rages as his light devours itself."; Donne's "The Sun Rising" plays combust intimacy: "She's all states, and all princes, in combust embrace."; Modern poet Mark Strand uses combust fade: "The combust star gutters in the vast, indifferent sky."; In Blake's "America a Prophecy," combust fires ignite: "Pestilence combusts the old world's tyrannic chains."; Sylvia Plath's "Fever 103°" burns combust: "The combust fever purges body to phoenix flight."
Additional Notes
Combust planets lose visibility near Sun, implying burnout or hidden gifts; traditional debility, mitigated by cazimi (exact conjunction). Poetry combusts intensity in Eliot's hollow men—related to under Sun beams; tip: check orbs for strength; professors guide analyzing combustion in charts for themes of obscured genius in literary figures.
Also Known As
Combustion Cazimi (when exact)
Skip to main content