meteor
[ mee-tee-er, -awr ]
/ ˈmi ti ər, -ˌɔr /
noun
Astronomy.
any person or object that moves, progresses, becomes famous, etc., with spectacular speed.
(formerly) any atmospheric phenomenon, as hail or a typhoon.
(initial capital letter) Military.
Britain's first operational jet fighter, a twin-engine aircraft that entered service in 1944.
Origin of meteor
1570–80; < New Latin
meteōrum < Greek
metéōron meteor, a thing in the air, noun use of neuter of
metéōros raised in the air, equivalent to
met-
met- +
eōr- (variant stem of
aéirein to raise) +
-os adj. suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM meteor
me·te·or·like, adjectiveWords nearby meteor
Definition for meteor (2 of 2)
Example sentences from the Web for meteor
British Dictionary definitions for meteor
meteor
/ (ˈmiːtɪə) /
noun
a very small meteoroid that has entered the earth's atmosphere. Such objects have speeds approaching 70 kilometres per second
Also called: shooting star, falling star
the bright streak of light appearing in the sky due to the incandescence of such a body heated by friction at its surface
Word Origin for meteor
C15: from Medieval Latin
meteōrum, from Greek
meteōron something aloft, from
meteōros lofty, from
meta- (intensifier) +
aeirein to raise
Scientific definitions for meteor
meteor
[ mē′tē-ər ]
A bright trail or streak of light that appears in the night sky when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere. The friction with the air causes the rock to glow with heat. Also called shooting star
A rocky body that produces such light. Most meteors burn up before reaching the Earth's surface. See Note at solar system.
Usage
The streaks of light we sometimes see in the night sky and call meteors were not identified as interplanetary rocks until the 19th century. Before then, the streaks of light were considered only one of a variety of atmospheric phenomena, all of which bore the name meteor. Rain was an aqueous meteor, winds and storms were airy meteors, and streaks of light in the sky were fiery meteors. This general use of meteor survives in our word meteorology, the study of the weather and atmospheric phenomena. Nowadays, astronomers use any of three words for rocks from interplanetary space, depending on their stage of descent to the Earth. A meteoroid is a rock in space that has the potential to collide with the Earth's atmosphere. Meteoroids range in size from a speck of dust to a chunk about 100 meters in diameter, though most are smaller than a pebble. When a meteoroid enters the atmosphere, it becomes a meteor. The light that it gives off when heated by friction with the atmosphere is also called a meteor. If the rock is not obliterated by the friction and lands on the ground, it is called a meteorite. For this term, scientists borrowed the -ite suffix used in the names of minerals like malachite and pyrite.
Cultural definitions for meteor
meteor
A streak of light in the sky, often called a “shooting star,” that occurs when a bit of extraterrestrial matter falls into the atmosphere of the Earth and burns up.
notes for meteor
Meteor showers occur at regular times during the year.