The term is derived from the ancient Greek noun ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis), which means 'the abandonment', 'the downfall', or 'the darkening of a heavenly body', which is derived from the verb ἐκλείπω (ekleípō) which means 'to abandon', 'to darken', or 'to cease to exist', a combination of prefix ἐκ- (ek-), from preposition ἐκ (ek), 'out', and of verb λείπω (leípō), 'to be absent'.