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. Military.,  Meteor, Britain's first operational jet fighter, a twin-engine aircraft that entered service in 1944.

meteor.

²

abbreviation

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 called: shooting star.  falling 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

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.

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.

Meteor showers occur at regular times during the year.

Other Word Forms

• meteorlike 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

Example Sentences

“The Action Network has analyzed sky visibility, elevation, historical meteor activity, and astronomical infrastructure to compile a ranked list of the best states for witnessing celestial events,” the website announced.

From Los Angeles Times

The shower lights up the skies each summer, and is known for its bright, fast-moving meteors - often dubbed "shooting stars".

From BBC

"This particular meteor that entered the atmosphere has a long history before it made it to the ground of McDonough," Scott Harris, a geologist at the University of Georgia, said.

From BBC

Paris was felled by a massive meteor in “Armageddon.”

From Los Angeles Times

Watching the shower can be an awesome experience as meteors streak past in the summertime heavens, leaving light and color in their wake.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• meteoroid 
• shooting star 

When To Use

What is a meteor?

A meteor is space matter that has entered Earth’s atmosphere, as in I was able to see a meteor enter our atmosphere last night through my telescope.A meteor is also the bright, fiery streak that is visible in the sky when a meteor burns up. Meteors are often referred to as shooting stars or falling stars.Simply put, a meteor is a meteoroid that has entered Earth’s atmosphere. A meteoroid is a small body of matter usually composed of dust or rock that travels through outer space. A meteor that reaches Earth’s surface is called a meteorite.Meteor is sometimes used figuratively to mean something that moves or advances at high speed, as in The new rock band was a meteor that shot up the charts.The adjective meteoric describes something involved with or related to a meteor. Meteoric is also used to describe something that resembles a meteor in terms of brightness or speed, as in We were amazed by her meteoric rise to stardom in Hollywood.A large number of meteors traveling through Earth’s surface at one time is called a meteor shower.Example: She took great pictures of last night’s meteor as it zoomed across the sky.