Jump to content

asteroid

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Asteroid

English

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

[edit]

Etymology 1

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
The asteroid 243 Ida

Introduced by German–British astronomer William Herschel in 1802 upon the suggestion of classical scholar Charles Burney Jr. (1757–1817), the son of music historian Charles Burney, a friend of Herschel's.[1][2] Probably coined as a learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀστεροειδής (asteroeidḗs, “starlike”),[3] from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “celestial body”) +‎ -ειδής (-eidḗs, adjective-forming suffix). By surface analysis, aster +‎ -oid.

Noun

[edit]

asteroid (plural asteroids)

  2. (astronomy) A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet, larger than a meteoroid and not a comet, that orbits a star and often has an irregular shape.
  3. (astronomy) In the Solar System, such a body that orbits within the orbit of Jupiter.
    • 2007, Hannu Karttunen et al., editors, Fundamental Astronomy, 5th edition, page 131:
      The orbital planes of asteroids, minor bodies that circle the Sun mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, are often more tilted ...
Usage notes
[edit]
  • The term "asteroid" has never been precisely defined. It was coined for objects which looked like stars in a telescope but moved like planets. These were known from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and were later found co-orbiting with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids) and within the orbit of Mars. They were naturally distinguished from comets, which did not look at all starlike. Starting in the 1970s, small non-cometary bodies were found outside the orbit of Jupiter, and usage became divided as to whether to call these "asteroids" as well. Some astronomers restrict the term "asteroid" to rocky or rocky-icy bodies with orbits up to Jupiter. They may retain the term planetoid for all small bodies, and thus tend to use it for icy or rocky-icy bodies beyond Jupiter, or may use dedicated words such as centaurs, Kuiper belt objects, transneptunian objects, etc. for the latter. Other astronomers use "asteroid" for all non-cometary bodies smaller than a planet, even large ones such as Sedna and (occasionally) Pluto. However, the distinction between asteroid and comet is an artificial one; many outer "asteroids" would become comets if they ventured nearer the Sun. The IAU terminology since 2006 has been small Solar System body for any body that orbits the Sun directly and whose shape is not dominated by gravity.
Derived terms
[edit]
[edit]
Translations
[edit]

See also

[edit]

Etymology 2

[edit]

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀστεροειδής (asteroeidḗs), from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”) + εἶδος (eîdos, “form”). Analyzable as aster- +‎ -oid. Piecewise doublet of etymology 1. Compare also the botanical taxon Asteroideae.

Noun

[edit]

asteroid (plural asteroids)

  2. (zoology) Any member of the taxonomic class Asteroidea; a starfish.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Rose Eveleth (10 October 2013), “Where Did the Word Asteroid Really Come From?”, in Smithsonian Magazine, retrieved 22 May 2026
  2. ^ “asteroid”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  3. ^ “asteroid, adj. & n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Further reading

[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]

Czech

[edit]
Czech Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia cs

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

asteroid m inan

  1. asteroid

Declension

[edit]
Declension of asteroid (hard masculine inanimate)
singular plural
nominative asteroid asteroidy
genitive asteroidu asteroidů
dative asteroidu asteroidům
accusative asteroid asteroidy
vocative asteroide asteroidy
locative asteroidu asteroidech
instrumental asteroidem asteroidy
[edit]

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]

Estonian

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • IPA(key): /ɑsteˈroi̯d̥/, [ɑsteˈroi̯d̥], /ˈɑsteroi̯d̥/, [ˈɑsteˌroi̯d̥]

Noun

[edit]

asteroid (genitive asteroidi, partitive asteroidi)

  1. asteroid

Declension

[edit]
Declension of asteroid (ÕS type 22e/riik, length gradation)
singular plural
nominative asteroid asteroidid
accusative nom.
gen. asteroidi
genitive asteroidide
partitive asteroidi asteroide
asteroidisid
illative asteroidi
asteroidisse 		asteroididesse
asteroidesse
inessive asteroidis asteroidides
asteroides
elative asteroidist asteroididest
asteroidest
allative asteroidile asteroididele
asteroidele
adessive asteroidil asteroididel
asteroidel
ablative asteroidilt asteroididelt
asteroidelt
translative asteroidiks asteroidideks
asteroideks
terminative asteroidini asteroidideni
essive asteroidina asteroididena
abessive asteroidita asteroidideta
comitative asteroidiga asteroididega

Further reading

[edit]
  • “asteroid”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

Indonesian

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From English asteroid.

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • IPA(key): [asteˈroɪt̚]
  • Hyphenation: as‧té‧ro‧id

Noun

[edit]

astéroid (plural asteroid-asteroid)

  1. (astronomy) asteroid
    Synonym: planetoid

Further reading

[edit]

Romanian

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

    Borrowed from French astéroïde.

    Noun

    [edit]

    asteroid m (plural asteroizi)

    1. asteroid

    Declension

    [edit]
    singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative-accusative asteroid asteroidul asteroizi asteroizii
    genitive-dative asteroid asteroidului asteroizi asteroizilor
    vocative asteroidule asteroizilor

    Further reading

    [edit]

    Serbo-Croatian

    [edit]
    Serbo-Croatian Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia sh

    Pronunciation

    [edit]

    Noun

    [edit]

    asteròīd m inan (Cyrillic spelling астеро̀ӣд)

    1. asteroid

    Declension

    [edit]
    Declension of asteroid
    singular plural
    nominative asteròīd asteroidi
    genitive asteroída asteroida
    dative asteroidu asteroidima
    accusative asteroid asteroide
    vocative asteroide asteroidi
    locative asteroidu asteroidima
    instrumental asteroidom asteroidima

    Further reading

    [edit]
    • “asteroid”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

    Slovene

    [edit]
    Slovene Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia sl

    Pronunciation

    [edit]

    Noun

    [edit]

    asteroȋd m inan

    1. asteroid

    Declension

    [edit]
    Unknown tone or non-tonal
    		 The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.
    Masculine inan., hard o-stem
    nom. sing. asteroȋd
    gen. sing. asteroȋda
    singular dual plural
    nominative
    (imenovȃlnik)     		asteroȋd asteroȋda asteroȋdi
    genitive
    (rodȋlnik)     		asteroȋda asteroȋdov asteroȋdov
    dative
    (dajȃlnik)     		asteroȋdu asteroȋdoma asteroȋdom
    accusative
    (tožȋlnik)     		asteroȋd asteroȋda asteroȋde
    locative
    (mẹ̑stnik)     		asteroȋdu asteroȋdih asteroȋdih
    instrumental
    (orọ̑dnik)     		asteroȋdom asteroȋdoma asteroȋdi

    Further reading

    [edit]

    Swedish

    [edit]

    Pronunciation

    [edit]

    Noun

    [edit]

    asteroid c

    1. asteroid

    Declension

    [edit]
    Declension of asteroid
    nominative genitive
    singular indefinite asteroid asteroids
    definite asteroiden asteroidens
    plural indefinite asteroider asteroiders
    definite asteroiderna asteroidernas
    Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=asteroid&oldid=93059309"