In a transit of Mercury or Venus over the sun's disc, this expression means the first touch of the planet's and sun's edges, before any part of the former is projected on the disc of the luminary.
·adj Away from the mesial plane of the body; lateral. II. External ·adj Not intrinsic nor essential...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
·noun The plane between two adjacent bodies of dissimilar rock. II. Contact ·noun A close union or ...
Brought in contact with, as touching the sides of a ship. In astronomy, bringing a reflected body, a...
The Sailor's Word-Book
This, in a transit of Mercury or Venus across the solar disc, occurs when the planet is just within ...