Hypertext Webster Gateway: "asteroid"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Asteroid \As"ter*oid\, n. [Gr. ? starlike, starry; 'asth`r star
+ ? form: cf. F. ast['e]ro["i]de. See {Aster}.]
A starlike body; esp. one of the numerous small planets whose
orbits lie between those of Mars and Jupiter; -- called also
{planetoids} and {minor planets}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
asteroid
adj : shaped like a star [syn: {star-shaped}]
n : any of numerous small celestial bodies composed of rock and
metal that move around the sun (mainly between the orbits
of Mars and Jupiter) [syn: {minor planet}, {planetoid}]
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