asteroid
[ as-tuh-roid ]
/ ˈæs təˌrɔɪd /
noun
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.
Zoology.
an asteroidean; a starfish.
adjective
Origin of asteroid
OTHER WORDS FROM asteroid
as·ter·oi·dal, adjective in·ter·as·ter·oi·dal, adjectiveWords nearby asteroid
asterism,
asterixis,
astern,
asternal,
asternia,
asteroid,
asteroid belt,
asteroid body,
asteroid hyalosis,
asteroidea,
asteroidean
Example sentences from the Web for asteroid
British Dictionary definitions for asteroid
asteroid
/ (ˈæstəˌrɔɪd) /
noun
Also called: minor planet, planetoid
any of numerous small celestial bodies that move around the sun mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Their diameters range from 930 kilometres (Ceres) to less than one kilometre
Also called: asteroidean (ˌæstəˈrɔɪdɪən)
any echinoderm of the class Asteroidea; a starfish
adjective Also: asteroidal (ˌæstəˈrɔɪdəl)
of, relating to, or belonging to the class Asteroidea
shaped like a star
Word Origin for asteroid
C19: from Greek
asteroeidēs starlike, from
astēr a star
Scientific definitions for asteroid
asteroid
[ ăs′tə-roid′ ]
Any of numerous small solar system bodies that orbit the Sun primarily in the asteroid belt, a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are intermediate in size between planets and meteoroids with diameters that measure between approximately one hundred and several hundred kilometers. While more than 1,800 asteroids have been cataloged, and as many as a million or more smaller ones may exist, their total mass has been estimated to be less than three percent of the Moon's. Asteroids are thought to be left over from the early formation of the solar system, when planetesimals in a protoplanetary disk were scattered after coming under Jupiter's gravitational influence. The continuing collision of planetesimals that remained between Jupiter and Mars caused many of them to fragment, creating the asteroids that exist today. Also called minor planet planetoid
Cultural definitions for asteroid
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.)