I. ˈastəˌrȯid, ˈaas- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Greek asteroeidēs starlike
1. : a celestial body resembling a star in appearance ; specifically : one of thousands of small planets most of which have orbits between those of Mars and Jupiter, approximating on the average the orbit at 2.8 astronomical units assigned by Bode's law, and ranging in size from a fraction of a mile in largest dimension to nearly 500 miles in diameter — called also minor planet, planetoid
2.
[New Latin Asteroidea ]
: one of the Asteroidea : starfish
II. adjective
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary, from Greek asteroeidēs starlike, from aster-, astēr star + -oeidēs -oid
1. : like a star
2.
[New Latin Asteroidea ]
: of or resembling a starfish
3.
[New Latin Aster + English -oid ]
: resembling or belonging to the genus Aster