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meteorite
[ mee-tee-uh-rahyt ]
noun
- a mass of stone or metal that has reached the earth from outer space; a fallen meteoroid.
- a meteoroid.
meteorite
/ ˌmiːtɪəˈrɪtɪk; ˈmiːtɪəˌraɪt /
noun
- a rocklike object consisting of the remains of a meteoroid that has fallen on earth. It may be stony (chondrite), iron, or stony iron (pallasite) See chondrite
meteorite
/ ŧ′ŧ-ə-ī′ /
- A meteor that reaches the Earth's surface because it has not been burned up by friction with the atmosphere. Meteorites are believed to be fragments of comets and asteroids.
- ◆ Meteorites that consist mostly of silicates are called stony meteorites and are classified as either chondrites or achondrites.
- ◆ Meteorites that consist mostly of iron are called iron meteorites.
- ◆ Meteorites that consist of a mixture of silicates and iron are called stony-iron meteorites.
Derived Forms
- meteoritic, adjective
Other 51Թ Forms
- ·ٱ·ǰ·· [mee-tee-, uh, -, rit, -ik], t·ǰ·i· ·ٱ·ǰ·· [mee-tee-, uh, -, rahyt, -l], adjective
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of meteorite1
Example Sentences
The earliest known iron artefacts - nine tubular beads - were made from meteoritic iron, which comes from fallen meteorites.
Even if this asteroid hits Earth, it could burn up in the atmosphere and become a much smaller meteorite before it lands.
An asteroid becomes a meteorite when it travels to Earth from a nearby orbit or the outer solar system and collides with Earth, according to the United States Geological Survey.
“Here we show that Bennu samples are volatile rich, with more carbon, nitrogen and ammonia than samples from asteroid Ryugu and most meteorites,” the scientists write.
A huge meteorite first discovered in 2014 caused a tsunami bigger than any in known human history and boiled the oceans, scientists have discovered.
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