asteroid
asteroid Lexical Profile
asteroid Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small rocky or metallic celestial body orbiting the Sun, found especially in the main belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
"Astronomers are tracking a newly discovered asteroid as it passes safely beyond the Moon's orbit."
Any marine echinoderm of the class Asteroidea, inhabiting ocean floors worldwide and characterized by a central disk and typically five or more radiating arms; a starfish.
• adjective
Star-shaped, or radiating outward like the points of a star.
"The pathologist noted small asteroid bodies within the giant cells under the microscope."
Word Nuance & Usage
An asteroid is a large rocky object orbiting the Sun, whereas a meteoroid is much smaller, a meteor is the streak of light produced when one enters Earth's atmosphere, and a meteorite is a fragment that reaches the ground.
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 19th century from Ancient Greek 'asteroeides' ('star-like'), from 'aster' ('star') and '-eides' ('form, shape'), because these small celestial bodies appeared as points of light like stars through early telescopes.