bolide

[ boh-lahyd, -lid ]

/ ˈboʊ laɪd, -lɪd /

a large, brilliant meteor, especially one that explodes; fireball.

Origin of bolide

1850–55; < French < Greek bolid- (stem of bolís) missile

Astrophysicists say it was a bolide, or a meteor that explodes in the air.

Fire in the Sky! The Russian Meteor’s Aftermath |Anna Nemtsova |February 15, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Everybody's over at the tracking station, arguing about the bolide that went over last night.

Creatures of the Abyss |Murray Leinster
The bolide's course should be three hundred fifty degrees, not quite on a north-south line.

Creatures of the Abyss |Murray Leinster
But the plane saw the bolide as it struck the sea, and huge masses of steam and spray arose.

Creatures of the Abyss |Murray Leinster

It was the sound of the bolide's passage, arriving after the object itself had dived into the sea.

Creatures of the Abyss |Murray Leinster
The Bolide; she and the Enterprise had made a raid on Ithunn.

Space Viking |Henry Beam Piper

bolide

/ (ˈbəʊlaɪd, -lɪd) /

a large exceptionally bright meteor that often explodes Also called: fireball

C19: from French, from bolis missile; see ballista