n.
Pronunciation: ' m ē -t ē - ə r, - ˌ o ̇ r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English metheour, from Middle French meteore, from Medieval Latin meteorum, from Greek mete ō ron, from neuter of mete ō ros high in air, from meta- + -e ō ros, from aeirein to lift
Date: 15th century
1 : an atmospheric phenomenon (as lightning or a snowfall)
2 a : any of the small particles of matter in the solar system that are directly observable only by their incandescence from frictional heating on entry into the atmosphere b : the streak of light produced by the passage of a meteor