meteor
meteor Lexical Profile
meteor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small body of matter from outer space that enters the Earth's atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a brief, glowing streak of light.
"We stayed up late on a clear night hoping to see a meteor flash across the sky during the Perseid shower."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with 'meteoroid' (the debris floating in space) and 'meteorite' (the physical fragment that actually hits the ground); a 'meteor' specifically refers to the visible streak of light seen in the atmosphere.
• Rhymes for meteor
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Late 15th century, from Middle French 'meteore' or Medieval Latin 'meteorum', ultimately derived from the Greek 'meteōron' meaning 'phenomenon in the sky' or 'thing high up' (from 'meta-' meaning 'beyond' and 'aeirein' meaning 'to lift').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.