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Asteroid

 - 6 dictionary results

as⋅ter⋅oid

  [as-tuh-roid]
Use Asteroid in a Sentence
–noun
1. Also called minor planet. Astronomy. any of the thousands of small bodies of from 480 miles (775 km) to less than one mile (1.6 km) in diameter that revolve about the sun in orbits lying mostly between those of Mars and Jupiter.
2. Zoology. an asteroidean; a starfish.
–adjective
3. starlike.
Origin:
1795–1805; < Gk asteroeids starry, starlike. See asterisk, -oid

Related forms:
as⋅ter⋅oi⋅dal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Asteroid
as·ter·oid   (ās'tə-roid')   
n.  

  1. Astronomy Any of numerous small celestial bodies that revolve around the sun, with orbits lying chiefly between Mars and Jupiter and characteristic diameters between a few and several hundred kilometers. Also called minor planet, planetoid.

  2. Zoology See starfish.

adj.   also as·ter·oi·dal (ās'tə-roid'l)
Star-shaped.

[From Greek asteroeidēs, starlike : astēr, star; see ster-3 in Indo-European roots + -oeidēs, -oid.]
star·fish   (stär'fĭsh')   
n.   pl. starfish or star·fish·es
Any of various marine echinoderms of the class Asteroidea, characteristically having a thick, often spiny body with five arms extending from a central disk. Also called asteroid, sea star.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

asteroid [(as-tuh-royd)]

A small planet that revolves around the sun. The largest asteroid is only about six hundred miles in diameter. (See asteroid belt.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

asteroid 
1802, coined by Herschel from Gk. asteroeides "star-like," from aster "star" (see star) + -eidos "form, shape" (see -oid).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: as·ter·oid
Pronunciation: 'as-t&-"roid
Function: adjective
: resembling a star
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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