asteroid

noun
/ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/

Etymology

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.

Definitions

  1. A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet,…

    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.

  2. In the Solar System, such a body that orbits within the orbit of Jupiter.

    • The orbital planes of asteroids, minor bodies that circle the Sun mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, are often more tilted ...
  3. Any member of the taxonomic class Asteroidea

    Any member of the taxonomic class Asteroidea; a starfish.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at asteroid. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01asteroid02shape03representation04media05wall06earth07planet08asteroids

A definitional loop anchored at asteroid. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at asteroid

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA