'Meteor' definitions:
Definition of 'meteor'
From: WordNet
noun
(astronomy) any of the small solid extraterrestrial bodies that hits the earth's atmosphere [syn: meteoroid, meteor]
noun
A streak of light in the sky at night that results when a meteoroid hits the earth's atmosphere and air friction causes the meteoroid to melt or vaporize or explode [syn: meteor, shooting star]
Definition of 'Meteor'
From: GCIDE
- Meteor \Me"te*or\, n. [F. m['e]t['e]ore, Gr. ?, pl. ? things in the air, fr. ? high in air, raised off the ground; ? beyond + ?, ?, a suspension or hovering in the air, fr. ? to lift, raise up.] [1913 Webster]
- 1. Any phenomenon or appearance in the atmosphere, as clouds, rain, hail, snow, etc. [1913 Webster]
- Hail, an ordinary meteor. --Bp. Hall. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Specif.: A transient luminous body or appearance seen in the atmosphere, or in a more elevated region. [1913 Webster]
- The vaulty top of heaven Figured quite o'er with burning meteors. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 3. A mass of stone or other substance which sometimes falls to the earth from space beyond the moon, burning up from atomospheric friction and creating a brilliant but usually very brief trail of light in the atmosphere; also called a shooting star. [PJC]
- Note: The term is especially applied to fireballs, and the masses of stone or other substances which sometimes fall to the earth; also to shooting stars and to ignes fatui. Meteors are often classed as: aerial meteors, winds, tornadoes, etc.; aqueous meteors, rain, hail, snow, dew, etc.; luminous meteors, rainbows, halos, etc.; and igneous meteors, lightning, shooting stars, and the like. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'meteor'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- aerolite,
- asteroids,
- aurora particles,
- blackout,
- bolide,
- chondrite,
- cosmic dust,
- cosmic particles,
- cosmic ray bombardment,
- fireball,
- intergalactic matter,
- meteor crater,
- meteor dust,
- meteor dust impacts,
- meteor shower,
- meteor swarm,
- meteor trail,
- meteor train,
- meteoric shower,
- meteorite,
- meteoroid,
- meteorolite,
- meteors,
- micrometeorite,
- micrometeoroid,
- radiant,
- radiant point,
- radiation,
- shooting star,
- siderite,
- siderolite,
- space bullets,
- tektite,
- the bends,
- weightlessness