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



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Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


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Coffee Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.

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