Cometoid

/ˈkoʊmətoɪd/ adjective

Definition

Resembling or having the characteristics of a comet; comet-like in appearance or behavior.

Etymology

Constructed from 'comet' plus the Greek '-oid' suffix (meaning 'resembling' or 'form of'). The '-oid' suffix is used across scientific terminology for comet-shaped objects.

Kelly Says

The '-oid' suffix lets scientists describe things that aren't quite something but look like it—so a cometoid object is celestially suspect, possibly a comet, possibly not, definitely comet-shaped.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.