Asteroids

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæstəˌɹɔɪdz/

Definitions

1. Rocky and metallic minor planets that revolve around the Sun in various orbits
2. Small celestial objects made of rock and metal that primarily exist in the region between Mars and Jupiter
3. Small celestial bodies composed mostly of rock and metal that orbit the Sun, typically found between Mars and Jupiter

Etymology: Before astronomers had a name for them, the bright specks wandering between Mars and Jupiter were simply taken for planets. In 1802 the German-British astronomer William Herschel, observing the newly found object Ceres, needed a term for these starlike bodies that were not planets in the usual sense. He took the suggestion of the classical scholar Charles Burney Jr., son of the music historian Charles Burney and a friend of Herschel's, and the word was introduced for them. The coinage draws on Ancient Greek "asteroeidēs," meaning "starlike," built from "astēr," "star," and "eidos," "form" or "appearance," which gives the English suffix "-oid." The Greeks never had a word for these objects, since the telescope had not yet been invented; the term is a learned formation from classical parts.

Synonyms: planetoids, minor planets