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vesta

 - 3 dictionary results

Ves⋅ta

  [ves-tuh]
Use vesta in a Sentence
–noun
1. 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 third largest and one of the four brightest asteroids.
3. (lowercase) British. a short friction match with a wood or wax shank.
4. a female given name.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To vesta
Ves·ta   (věs'tə)   
n.  

  1. Roman Mythology The goddess of the hearth, worshiped in a temple containing the sacred fire tended by the vestal virgins.

  2. The brightest of all the asteroids and the fourth to be discovered.


[Latin; see wes-1 in Indo-European roots.]
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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Science Dictionary
Vesta   (věs'tə)  Pronunciation Key 
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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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