Word
asteroid
Phoneticsas·ter·oid
US/ˈæstɝˌɔɪd/
UK/ˈɑːstəɹˌɔɪd/
Definitions
01space rock
n. a large piece of rock or metal that moves around the sun, mostly in the space between Mars and Jupiter.
n. a small rocky or metallic body orbiting the sun, typically found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
“Scientists are tracking a large asteroid that will pass close to Earth next month.”
“The mission aimed to land a probe on the asteroid's surface to analyse its mineral composition and determine its origin within the early solar system.”
Synonyms
02starfish
n. a sea animal with a flat, star-shaped body and five or more arms.
n. any echinoderm of the class Asteroidea, characterised by a flattened body and radiating arms.
“The diver found a bright red asteroid clinging to the side of the coral reef.”
“Marine biologists observed the asteroid using its tube feet to pry open the shell of a bivalve during the feeding cycle.”
Technical
Usage
In modern general English, 'starfish' or 'sea star' is almost always preferred over 'asteroid'.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Hera is currently traveling toward its main destination, the asteroid moon Dimorphos.” “I recently rewatched Armageddon, complete with Bruce Willis, oil drillers sent into space, and an asteroid the size of Texas racing toward Earth.” Etymology
From aster + -oid, lit. "star-like". Coined by William Herschel.
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.