meteorite
a mass of stone or metal that has reached the earth from outer space; a fallen meteoroid.
a meteoroid.
Origin of meteorite
1Other words from meteorite
- me·te·or·it·ic [mee-tee-uh-rit-ik], /ˌmi ti əˈrɪt ɪk/, me·te·or·it·i·cal, me·te·or·it·al [mee-tee-uh-rahyt-l], /ˌmi ti əˈraɪt l/, adjective
Words that may be confused with meteorite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use meteorite in a sentence
It's as if "true meteoritic material" were a "rock of ages" to some scientific men.
The Book of the Damned | Charles FortThe theory of the decomposition of the elements is closely bound up with the meteoritic theory.
A History of Science, Volume 5(of 5) | Henry Smith WilliamsThis especial Mr. Symons rejects the Reading substance because it was not "of true meteoritic material."
The Book of the Damned | Charles FortBut the other members of the Institute decided that the object was spurious, because it was not of "true meteoritic material."
The Book of the Damned | Charles FortAny old chunk of metal that measures up to the standard of "true meteoritic material" is admitted by the museums.
The Book of the Damned | Charles Fort
British Dictionary definitions for meteorite
/ (ˈmiːtɪəˌraɪt) /
a rocklike object consisting of the remains of a meteoroid that has fallen on earth. It may be stony (chondrite), iron, or stony iron (pallasite): See chondrite
Derived forms of meteorite
- meteoritic (ˌmiːtɪəˈrɪtɪk), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for meteorite
[ mē′tē-ə-rīt′ ]
A meteor that reaches the Earth's surface because it has not been burned up by friction with the atmosphere. Meteorites are believed to be fragments of comets and asteroids.♦ Meteorites that consist mostly of silicates are called stony meteorites and are classified as either chondrites or achondrites. ♦ Meteorites that consist mostly of iron are called iron meteorites. ♦ Meteorites that consist of a mixture of silicates and iron are called stony-iron meteorites.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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