Homestar

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The title character of a long-running, quirky Flash animation series that first appeared on the internet in the late 1990s
2. A cartoon figure who headlines an offbeat web animation series, originally created in Flash and popular online since the late 1990s
3. The lead character of a whimsical internet cartoon, produced with Flash animation and known for its absurd humor and catchphrases

Etymology: "Homestar" is a compound of "home" and "star." "Home" comes from Old English "hām," and "star" comes from Old English "steorra," so the word is built entirely from native English roots rather than borrowed material. Its meaning comes from combining the two parts, though the compound is not an old, established term with a widely recorded sense. Most people who meet the word today encounter it as a name. Homestar Runner is a long-running web cartoon, and its title character gives the compound a playful, proper-noun identity that has overshadowed any older use. The combination itself is transparent: a star associated with home, with the name's sense shaped by whichever context it appears in.