meteoroid

[ mee-tee-uh-roid ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. any of the small bodies, often remnants of comets, traveling through space: when such a body enters the earth's atmosphere it is heated to luminosity and becomes a meteor.

meteoroid

/ ˈmiːtɪəˌrɔɪd /

noun

1. any of the small celestial bodies that are thought to orbit the sun, possibly as the remains of comets. When they enter the earth's atmosphere, they become visible as meteors

meteoroid

/ mē′tē-ə-roid′ /

1. A small, rocky or metallic body revolving in interplanetary space around the Sun. A meteoroid is significantly smaller than an asteroid, ranging from small grains or particles to the size of large boulders. The clustered meteoroids associated with regular annual meteor showers are believed to be very small particles of cometary debris. Meteoroids that survive their passage through the Earth's atmosphere and land as meteorites are somewhat larger, solitary bodies and are encountered in no predictable pattern.
2. See Note at meteor

Derived Forms

• ˌmeteorˈoidal, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meteoroid¹

First recorded in 1860–65; meteor + -oid

Example Sentences

Unusually, its trajectory was caught on several cameras in the region used to track meteoroids.

From New York Times

A Russian investigation concluded that those leaks likely resulted from hits by tiny meteoroids, not manufacturing flaws.

From Seattle Times

We wandered over to the first area—Space Is Dangerous—and watched a video of a hole being blown through a thick metal plate by a simulated meteoroid.

From Literature

But on other worlds, it’s more typical to find metamorphic rocks forged in the split-second shock of a meteoroid impact.

From National Geographic

The meteoroid appeared so enormous they are sure they heard it roaring across the heavens.

From Los Angeles Times