asteroid
noun
[ ˈastərɔɪd ]
• a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging enormously in size, are found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits.
• an echinoderm of the class Asteroidea, which comprises the starfishes.
asteroid
adjective
• relating to or denoting echinoderms of the class Asteroidea.
Origin:
early 19th century: from Greek asteroeidēs ‘starlike’, from astēr ‘star’.
