comet Hear it!

comet Definition

comet (käm′it)

noun

a small, frozen mass of dust and gas revolving around the sun in a parabolic or elliptical orbit: as it nears the sun it vaporizes, forming a coma and, usually, a long tail of ions that points away from the sun

Etymology: ME comete < OE cometa & OFr comete, both < L cometa < Gr komētēs, lit., long-haired (star) < komē, lit., hair of the head

comet Related Forms
com′·et·ar′y (-ə ter′ē) adjective or co·met′ickō met′ik
comet Usage Examples

Possessives

  • orbit: These jets can alter the comet's orbit ( remember Newton's third law of motion?
  • nucleus: A smart impactor will be used to create a crater on the comet's nucleus.
  • tail: It is common for our giants to be endowed with a red streaming comet's tail of a beard!
  • surface: Another big surprise was the abundance and behavior of jets of particles shooting up from the comet's surface.

Converse of object

  • observe: We know that Boulliau's father observed the comet of 1607 which would later be called Halley ' s comet.
  • discover: Yet we discover several long period comets every year.
  • pass: In this novel, the light of a passing comet causes much of the watching population to go blind.

Adjective modifier

  • long-period: The Oort cloud is the source of long-period comets with return times greater than 200 years.
  • short-period: It is now considered to be the source of the short-period comets.
  • periodic: The comet the becomes a periodic comet with a definite period for its returns close to the Sun.
  • bright: Some other bright comet may soon flash into view.
  • spectacular: Most of the brightest and most spectacular comets have been ones which have appeared only once and have never been seen again.
  • ancient: The ultimate basis of his theory is that there was an ancient comet.

Modifies a noun

  • chaser: The European Space Agency launched its comet chaser Rosetta in March 2004, which will rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014.
  • assay: The effect of p53 protein on the repair of damaged DNA was examined by comet assay.
  • swarm: These comet swarms would stay around for several million years.
  • nucleus: After global mapping of the comet nucleus a landing site will be chosen and in November 2014 the lander will be released.
  • orbit: In Vienna, Professor Edmond Weiss was busy calculating probable close encounters between Earth and comet orbits.
  • tail: How else could comet tails be produced, except by ices sublimating in the heat of the Sun?

Noun used with modifier

  • silver: As the maroon left its tube up it went with a perfect silver comet tail behind it.
Comet Quotes

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And hewhistled, andshouted, and called thembyname; 'Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!'

—Moore, Clement

comet Quotes

Come like a light in the white mackerel sky, come like a daytime comet with a long unnebulous train of words, Bismarck from Brooklyn, over the Brooklyn Bridge, on this fine morning, please come flying.

—Bishop, Elizabeth

A Learned Woman is thought to be a Comet, that bodes Mischief, when ever it appears.

—Makin, Bathsua   b. c.1600