as·ter·oidI. \ˈastəˌrȯid, ˈaas-\
noun(
-s)
Etymology: Greek
asteroeidēs starlike
1. : a celestial body resembling a star in appearance;
specifically : one of thousands of small planets most of which have orbits between those of Mars and Jupiter, approximating on the average the orbit at 2.8 astronomical units assigned by Bode's law, and ranging in size from a fraction of a mile in largest dimension to nearly 500 miles in diameter — called also
minor planet, planetoid2. [New Latin
Asteroidea]
: one of the Asteroidea
: starfish
II. adjectiveEtymology: International Scientific Vocabulary, from Greek
asteroeidēs starlike, from
aster-, astēr star +
-oeidēs -oid
1. : like a star
2. [New Latin
Asteroidea]
: of or resembling a starfish
3. [New Latin
Aster + English
-oid]
: resembling or belonging to the genus
Aster