noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   An unofficial constellation (small group of stars that forms a visible pattern).

   "The Big Dipper, Summer Triangle, and Orion's Belt are asterisms."

2. 2
   (astronomy) a cluster of stars (or a small constellation) wordnet
3. 3
   A rarely used typographical symbol of three asterisks arranged in a triangle, ⁂, used to call attention to a passage or to separate subchapters in a book. Distinct from a dinkus which also uses asterisks to separate.
4. 4
   (mineralogy) a star-shaped figure with six rays that is seen in some crystal structures under reflected or transmitted light wordnet
5. 5
   A star-shaped figure exhibited by some crystals by reflected light (as in a star sapphire) or by transmitted light (as in some mica).

Synonyms

All synonyms

constellationstar cluster

Example

More examples

"The Big Dipper, Summer Triangle, and Orion's Belt are asterisms."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀστερισμός (asterismós, “group of stars”), from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”). Analyzable as aster- + -ism.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.