meteor

CEFRB1

/ˈmiːtɪ.ə/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A streak of light made when a space rock enters Earth's atmosphere.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A fast-moving streak of light in the night sky caused by the entry of extraterrestrial matter into the earth's atmosphere; a shooting star or falling star.

Examples

  • It's only a matter of time before the meteor strikes.

  • A burning meteoroid produces a meteor.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3
Synonyms
3

Also pronounced

  • [ˈmiːɾiɚ]
  • /ˈmiːtiɚ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A prop similar to poi balls, in that it is twirled at the end of a cord or cable.

  2. An atmospheric or meteorological phenomenon. These were sometimes classified as aerial or airy meteors (winds), aqueous or watery meteors (hydrometeors: clouds, rain, snow, hail, dew, frost), luminous meteors (rainbows and aurora), and igneous or fiery meteors (lightning and shooting stars).

  3. A striking weapon resembling a track and field hammer consisting of a weight swung at the end of a cable or chain.

More examples

In context

  • The twilight, the meteors call'd fire-balls, or flying dragons, and the northern lights, inhabit the higher regions of the atmosphere.

  • Europe, where the Sun dares ſcarce appeare, For freezing Meteors and congealed cold: […]

  • A meteor in the hazy air / Play’d before his path; / Before him now it roll’d / A globe of livid fire […] Anon to Thalaba it mov’d, / And wrapt him in its pale innocuous fire.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A bright streak of light across the sky is often caused by a blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle French météore, from Old French, from Latin meteorum, from Ancient Greek μετέωρον (metéōron), from μετέωρος (metéōros, “raised from the ground, hanging, lofty”), from μετά (metá, “in the midst of, among, between”) (English meta) + ἀείρω (aeírō, “to lift, to heave, to raise up”). The original sense of “atmospheric phenomenon” gave rise to meteorology, but the meaning of "meteor" is now restricted to extraterrestrial objects burning up as they enter the atmosphere.