METEOROID
meteoroid, meteor
(noun) (astronomy) any of the small solid extraterrestrial bodies that hits the earth’s atmosphere
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
meteoroid (plural meteoroids)
(astronomy) A relatively small (sand- to boulder-sized) fragment of debris in a star system that produces a meteor when it hits the atmosphere
Hypernyms
• celestial object
Hyponyms
• micrometeoroid
Source: Wiktionary
Me"te*or*oid, n. Etym: [Meteor + -oid.] (Astron.)
Definition: A small body moving through space, or revolving about the sun,
which on entering the earth's atmosphere would be deflagrated and
appear as a meteor.
These bodies [small, solid bodies] before they come into the air, I
call meteoroids. H. A. Newton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition