Asteroidal

/ˌæstəˈrɔɪdəl/ adjective

Definition

Resembling or relating to asteroids; having characteristics of small rocky bodies orbiting the sun.

Etymology

From asteroid (from Greek aster, 'star,' plus eidos, 'form') plus the adjective suffix -al. Asteroids were named 'star-like' because they looked like small stars to early astronomers.

Kelly Says

When astronomers first spotted asteroids through telescopes, they looked just like tiny stars, so they called them 'asteroid' (star-like)—but we now know they're actually tiny planets!

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