meteor

¹

[ mee-tee-er, -awr ]

noun

1. Astronomy.
   1. a meteoroid that has entered the earth's atmosphere.
   2. a transient fiery streak in the sky produced by a meteoroid passing through the earth's atmosphere; a shooting star or bolide.
2. any person or object that moves, progresses, becomes famous, etc., with spectacular speed.
3. (formerly) any atmospheric phenomenon, as hail or a typhoon.
4. Meteor, Military. Britain's first operational jet fighter, a twin-engine aircraft that entered service in 1944.

meteor.

²

abbreviation for

1. meteorological.
2. meteorology.

meteor

/ ˈmiːtɪə /

noun

1. a very small meteoroid that has entered the earth's atmosphere. Such objects have speeds approaching 70 kilometres per second
2. Also calledshooting starfalling star the bright streak of light appearing in the sky due to the incandescence of such a body heated by friction at its surface

meteor

/ mē′tē-ər /

1. A bright trail or streak of light that appears in the night sky when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere. The friction with the air causes the rock to glow with heat.
2. Also called shooting star
3. A rocky body that produces such light. Most meteors burn up before reaching the Earth's surface.
4. See Note at solar system

meteor

1. A streak of light in the sky, often called a “shooting star,” that occurs when a bit of extraterrestrial matter falls into the atmosphere of the Earth and burns up.

Notes

Meteor showers occur at regular times during the year.

Other Words From

• mete·or·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meteor¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from New Latin meteōrum, from Greek metéōron “meteor, a thing in the air,” noun use of neuter of metéōros “raised in the air,” equivalent to met- met- + eōr- (variant stem of aeírein “to raise”) + -os adjective suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of meteor¹

C15: from Medieval Latin meteōrum, from Greek meteōron something aloft, from meteōros lofty, from meta- (intensifier) + aeirein to raise

Usage

The streaks of light we sometimes see in the night sky and call meteors were not identified as interplanetary rocks until the 19th century. Before then, the streaks of light were considered only one of a variety of atmospheric phenomena, all of which bore the name meteor. Rain was an aqueous meteor, winds and storms were airy meteors, and streaks of light in the sky were fiery meteors. This general use of meteor survives in our word meteorology, the study of the weather and atmospheric phenomena. Nowadays, astronomers use any of three words for rocks from interplanetary space, depending on their stage of descent to the Earth. A meteoroid is a rock in space that has the potential to collide with the Earth's atmosphere. Meteoroids range in size from a speck of dust to a chunk about 100 meters in diameter, though most are smaller than a pebble. When a meteoroid enters the atmosphere, it becomes a meteor. The light that it gives off when heated by friction with the atmosphere is also called a meteor. If the rock is not obliterated by the friction and lands on the ground, it is called a meteorite. For this term, scientists borrowed the –ite suffix used in the names of minerals like malachite and pyrite.

Example Sentences

Every year, the iconic meteor shower offers a spectacular show… and experts say this weekend is going to be particularly special.

From Salon

Between November 3rd and December 2nd, but especially during the weekend of November 16-17, the Leonids will be unusually easy to see and appreciate, according to the American Meteor Society.

From Salon

The flashy meteor show occurs because our planet travels in a nearly opposite direction as 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the meteors crash into our planet’s atmosphere.

From Salon

“Once every 33 years or so, the 'lion roars,' as Leonid meteors seem to rain down from the Sickle asterism of the constellation Leo,” writes David Dickinson of Universe Today, who has seen the Leonids up close, when explaining why this particular Leonids meteor shower could be memorable.

From Salon

Earth is not expected to encounter any new dense clouds of debris until 2099, so when 55P/Tempel-Tuttle returns in 2031 and 2064, it may not bring meteor showers with it.

From Salon

Related Words

• meteoroid
• shooting star