noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
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"Europe, where the Sun dares ſcarce appeare, For freezing Meteors and congealed cold: […]"
"A burning meteoroid produces a meteor."
An atmospheric or meteorological phenomenon. These were sometimes classified as aerial or airy meteors (winds), aqueous or watery meteors (hydrometeors: clouds, rain, snow, hail, dew, frost), luminous meteors (rainbows and aurora), and igneous or fiery meteors (lightning and shooting stars).
Common synonyms include: shooting star, aerolite, asteroids, aurora particles, blackout, bolide.
A burning meteoroid produces a meteor.
Pronounced /ˈmiːtɪ.ə/.
From Middle French météore, from Old French, from Latin meteorum, from Ancient Greek μετέωρον (metéōron), from μετέωρος (metéōros, “raised from the ground, hanging, lofty”), from μετά (metá, “in the midst of, among, between”) (English meta) + ἀείρω (aeírō, “to lift, to heave, to raise up”). The original sense of “atmospheric phenomenon” gave rise to meteorology, but the meaning of "meteor" is now restricted to extraterrestrial objects burning up as they enter the atmosphere.