Vesta

[ ves-tuh ]

noun
  1. Classical Mythology. the ancient Roman goddess of the hearth, worshiped in a temple containing an altar on which a sacred fire was kept burning by the vestal virgins: identified with the Greek Hestia.

  2. Astronomy. the second largest and by far the brightest asteroid in our solar system, discovered in 1807 and located in the asteroid belt. : See also Ceres (def. 2), Hygieia (def. 2), Pallas (def. 2).

  1. (lowercase)British. a short friction match with a wood or wax shank.

  2. a female given name.

Origin of Vesta

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin; possibly akin to Greek Hestía; possibly derivative of Latin ūrere “to burn”

Words Nearby Vesta

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Vesta in a sentence

  • And looking back on that wreck of a room, I reflected how congenial Jaffery must have found his surroundings on board the Vesta.

    Jaffery | William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for vesta (1 of 3)

vesta

/ (ˈvɛstə) /


noun
  1. a short friction match, usually of wood

Origin of vesta

1
C19: named after the goddess; see Vesta 1

British Dictionary definitions for Vesta (2 of 3)

Vesta1

/ (ˈvɛstə) /


noun
  1. the Roman goddess of the hearth and its fire. In her temple a perpetual flame was tended by the vestal virgins: Greek counterpart: Hestia

British Dictionary definitions for Vesta (3 of 3)

Vesta2

/ (ˈvɛstə) /


noun
  1. the brightest of the four largest asteroids. Diameter: about 530 km (240 miles)

Origin of Vesta

3
C19: named after the goddess; see Vesta 1

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 Vesta

Vesta

[ vĕs ]


  1. The brightest of all the asteroids and the fourth to be discovered, in 1807. It is the third largest, with a diameter of about 530 km (329 mi), and the only asteroid that can be seen without a telescope. Evidence of lava flows on its surface suggests that it once had a molten interior. See more at asteroid.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Vesta

Vesta

The Roman and Greek goddess of the hearth and home. Roman and Greek cities were supposed to have a public hearth dedicated to Vesta, at which the fire was kept constantly burning.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.