Meteorite

Meteorite
Meteorite Me"te*or*ite, n. [Cf. F. m['e]t['e]orite.] (Min.) A mass of stone or iron which has fallen to the earth from space; an a["e]rolite. [1913 Webster]

Note: Meteorites usually show a pitted surface with a fused crust, caused by the heat developed in their rapid passage through the earth's atmosphere. A meteorite may consist: 1. Of metallic iron, alloyed with a small percentage of nickel (meteoric iron, holosiderite). When etched this usually exhibits peculiar crystalline figures, called Widmanst["a]tten figures. 2. Of a cellular mass of iron with imbedded silicates (mesosiderite or siderolite). 3. Of a stony mass of silicates with little iron (meteoric stone, sporadosiderite). 4. Of a mass without iron (asiderite). [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • meteorite — (n.) rock that falls to earth, after streaking across the sky as a meteor, 1818, from METEOR (Cf. meteor) + ITE (Cf. ite) …   Etymology dictionary

  • meteorite — s. f. [Astronomia] O mesmo que meteorito.   ‣ Etimologia: meteoro + ite …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • meteorite — ► NOUN ▪ a piece of rock or metal that has fallen to the earth from space …   English terms dictionary

  • meteorite — [mēt′ē ər īt΄] n. that part of a relatively large meteoroid that survives passage through the atmosphere and falls to the surface of a planet or moon as a mass of metal or stone meteoritic [mēt′mə ərit′ik] adj …   English World dictionary

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