asteroid

An asteroid.

Meaning

Noun

  • Any member of the taxonomic class Asteroidea; a starfish
  • A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and is not a comet, that orbits a star
  • In the Solar system, such a body that orbits within the orbit of Jupiter

Origin

  • Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀστεροειδής, from ἀστήρ + εἶδος.
  • aster + -oid Coined by William Herschel, terming these objects "star-like"

Modern English dictionary

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