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asteroid
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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See also: Asteroid
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From aster + -oid, lit. "star-like". Coined by William Herschel.
Noun
asteroid (plural asteroids)
- (astronomy) 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.
- (astronomy) In the Solar system, such a body that orbits within the orbit of Jupiter
- 2007, Hannu Karttunen et al., editors, Fundamental Astronomy, 5th edition, page 131:
- The orbital planes of asteroids, minor bodies that circle the Sun mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, are often more tilted ...
Usage notes
The term "asteroid" has never been precisely defined. It was coined for objects which looked like stars in a telescope but moved like planets. These were known from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and were later found co-orbiting with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids) and within the orbit of Mars. They were naturally distinguished from comets, which did not look at all starlike. Starting in the 1970s, small non-cometary bodies were found outside the orbit of Jupiter, and usage became divided as to whether to call these "asteroids" as well. Some astronomers restrict the term "asteroid" to rocky or rocky-icy bodies with orbits up to Jupiter. They may retain the term planetoid for all small bodies, and thus tend to use it for icy or rocky-icy bodies beyond Jupiter, or may use dedicated words such as centaurs, Kuiper belt objects, transneptunian objects, etc. for the latter. Other astronomers use "asteroid" for all non-cometary bodies smaller than a planet, even large ones such as Sedna and (occasionally) Pluto. However, the distinction between asteroid and comet is an artificial one; many outer "asteroids" would become comets if they ventured nearer the Sun. The IAU terminology since 2006 has been small Solar System body for any body that orbits the Sun directly and whose shape is not dominated by gravity.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
astronomy: a naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and is not a comet, that orbits a star
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See also
Etymology 2
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
asteroid (plural asteroids)
- (zoology) Any member of the taxonomic class Asteroidea; a starfish.
Further reading
- “asteroid”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “asteroid”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
Anagrams
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Czech
Pronunciation
Noun
asteroid m inan
Declension
Declension of asteroid (hard masculine inanimate)
Related terms
- See astro-
See also
Further reading
- “asteroid”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)
- “asteroid”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
- “asteroid”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025
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Estonian
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
Noun
asteroid (genitive asteroidi, partitive asteroidi)
Declension
Further reading
- “asteroid”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
Indonesian
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Further reading
- “asteroid”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016
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Romanian
Etymology
Noun
asteroid m (plural asteroizi)
Declension
Further reading
- “asteroid”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025
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Serbo-Croatian
Pronunciation
Noun
asteròīd m inan (Cyrillic spelling астеро̀ӣд)
Declension
Further reading
- “asteroid”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025
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Slovene
Pronunciation
Noun
asteroȋd m inan
Declension
| The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks. |
Further reading
- “asteroid”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
- “asteroid”, in Termania, Amebis
- See also the general references
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Swedish
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -iːd
Noun
asteroid c
Declension
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