51Թ

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asteroid

[ as-tuh-roid ]

noun

  1. Astronomy. any of millions of small celestial objects revolving around the sun, often irregularly shaped and having a great range in size, from as small as 6 feet (2 meters) across to about 620 miles (998 kilometers) across: the vast majority of known asteroids exist within the asteroid belt. small solar system body.
  2. Zoology. a starfish; an asteroidean.


adjective

asteroid

/ ˈæəˌɔɪ /

noun

  1. Also calledminor planetplanetoid any of numerous small celestial bodies that move around the sun mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Their diameters range from 930 kilometres (Ceres) to less than one kilometre
  2. Also calledasteroideanˌæstəˈrɔɪdɪən any echinoderm of the class Asteroidea; a starfish
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the class Asteroidea
  2. shaped like a star
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

asteroid

/ ăə-Ǿ′ /

  1. Any of numerous small solar system bodies that orbit the Sun primarily in the asteroid belt , a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are intermediate in size between planets and meteoroids with diameters that measure between approximately one hundred and several hundred kilometers. While more than 1,800 asteroids have been cataloged, and as many as a million or more smaller ones may exist, their total mass has been estimated to be less than three percent of the Moon's. Asteroids are thought to be left over from the early formation of the solar system, when planetesimals in a protoplanetary disk were scattered after coming under Jupiter's gravitational influence. The continuing collision of planetesimals that remained between Jupiter and Mars caused many of them to fragment, creating the asteroids that exist today.
  2. Also called minor planet planetoid

asteroid

  1. A small planet that revolves around the sun . The largest asteroid is only about six hundred miles in diameter . ( See asteroid belt .)
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • ·ٱ·Ǿ·岹 adjective
  • in·ter··ٱ·Ǿ·岹 adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of asteroid1

First recorded in 1795–1805; from Greek ٱDZ𾱻ḗs “starry, starlike”; star, -oid
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of asteroid1

C19: from Greek ٱDZ𾱻ŧ starlike, from ŧ a star
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A large asteroid whose chances of hitting Earth have been all but ruled out is now slightly more likely to hit the Moon than previously thought, Nasa says.

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The impact would be much less damaging if it occurred over the ocean, as asteroid 2024 YR4 is not large enough even at the outer range of projections to trigger a tsunami.

From

A large asteroid known as 2024 YR4 has grabbed headlines this week as scientists first raised its chances of hitting earth, then lowered them.

From

He wants to jump on board only enough to lead a worldwide resurgence of the Nazi party’s sponsored trip to Mars to avoid the asteroid.

From

When scientists first reported their findings in January, they expected the asteroid’s future trajectory and impact probability to change as observational data was collected and analyzed.

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