asteroid
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asteroid¹
- /ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/
Sounds like astroid (one pronunciation) · Rhymes with -ɔɪd
Where it comes from
]Introduced by German–British astronomer William Herschel in 1802 upon the suggestion of classical scholar Charles Burney Jr. (1757–1817), the son of music historian Charles Burney, a friend of Herschel's. Probably coined as a learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀστεροειδής (asteroeidḗs, “starlike”), from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “celestial body”) + -ειδής (-eidḗs, adjective-forming suffix). By surface analysis, aster + -oid.
noun asteroids
- A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet, larger than a meteoroid and not a comet, that orbits a star and often has an irregular shape.
- In the Solar System, such a body that orbits within the orbit of Jupiter. The orbital planes of asteroids, minor bodies that circle the Sun mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, are often more tilted ...
asteroid²
- /ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/
Sounds like astroid (one pronunciation) · Rhymes with -ɔɪd
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀστεροειδής (asteroeidḗs), from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”) + εἶδος (eîdos, “form”). Analyzable as aster- + -oid. Piecewise doublet of etymology 1. Compare also the botanical taxon Asteroideae.
noun asteroids
- Any member of the taxonomic class Asteroidea; a starfish.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: angulate, angular, minor planet, planetoid, star-shaped, hyalitis, meteor, planet, ceres, vesta, icarus, exoasteroid, neoasteroid, asterite, apollo, primary planet
Translations
Every language
noun astronomy: a naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and is not a comet, that orbits a star
| Español | asteroide, planetoide |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 소행성 sohaengseong |
| 日本語 | 小惑星 shōwakusei |
| 中文 | 小行星 xiǎoxíngxīng |
| हिन्दी | क्षुद्रग्रह kṣudragrah, उपग्रह upagrah |
| Português | asteroide, planetoide |
| Français | astéroïde |
| Deutsch | Asteroid |
| Italiano | asteroide, pianetino, planetoide |
| Ελληνικά | αστεροειδής asteroeidís |
| Română | asteroid |
| Русский | астеро́ид asteróid, ма́лая плане́та málaja planéta |
| Tiếng Việt | tiểu hành tinh |
| العربية | كُوَيْكِب kuwaykib |
| עברית | אַסְטֶרוֹאִיד astero'íd |
Talk about this word "asteroid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/asteroid. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. asteroid. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/asteroid "asteroid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/asteroid.Cite this
@misc{asteroid_2026,
title = {asteroid},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/asteroid},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
