asteroids
|as-ter-oid|
🇺🇸
/ˈæs.tə.rɔɪd/
🇬🇧
/ˈæs.tərɔɪd/
(asteroid)
small, star-like space rock
Etymology
'asteroid' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'asteroeides' (ἀστεροειδής), where 'aster' meant 'star' and the suffix '-oeidēs' meant 'resembling' or 'like'.
'asteroeides' passed into New Latin as 'asteroides' and was adopted into English as 'asteroid' in the late 18th to early 19th century (the term was popularized in astronomical usage around the time of early discoveries of such objects).
Initially, it meant 'star-like' (because these objects appeared star-like in early telescopes); over time it came to mean specifically 'a small rocky body orbiting the Sun.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
small rocky or metallic body that orbits the Sun, typically found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter; used here in the plural to refer to more than one such object.
Astronomers have cataloged thousands of asteroids in the main belt.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/06 02:42