meteorite Hear it!

meteorite Definition

me·teor·ite (mēt′ē ər īt′)

noun

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

meteorite Related Forms
me′·teor·it′ic (-it′ik) adjective
meteorite Usage Examples

Converse of subject

  • hit: Mr Robinson's mother was hit by a meteorite.

Converse of object

  • call: The object which hits the ground is called a meteorite.
  • find: This evidence is based on detailed studies of part of a Martian meteorite found in Antarctica.
  • recover: This was the first meteorite recovered in Scotland, and to this day, is still one of only four.
  • study: He is a reknowned world expert in extraterrestrial sample analysis and is a leading member of European scientists studying meteorites.

Adjective modifier

  • carbonaceous: The impact of millions to billions of carbonaceous meteorites in the early solar system may have replenished the water supply on the terrestrial planets.
  • Martian: This evidence is based on detailed studies of part of a Martian meteorite found in Antarctica.
  • stony: High Possil is a stony meteorite - the commonest kind.
  • primitive: Primitive meteorites contain minute amounts of pristine interstellar material, in particular SiC ( Pillinger et al.
  • large: I guessed maybe it had been a large meteorite.
  • most: Most meteorites are thought to come from asteroids, small rocky bodies orbiting the Sun.

Modifies a noun

  • crater: Drilling in the Arizona meteorite crater, for example, has not been successful in locating a large body of meteoritic material.
  • impact: The meteorite impact site museum is well worth a visit.
  • strike: This is not the first meteorite strike in Suffolk.
  • structure: It is one of only three meteorite impact structures known with a diameter greater than 150 km.
  • shower: Its orbit around the sun has been altered, ice caps have melted and meteorite showers have ravaged the landscape.
  • alh84001: On 1996 Aug 6, David McKay et al announced what they thought might be evidence of ancient Martian microorganisms in the meteorite ALH84001.

Noun used with modifier

  • iron: One authority in 1886 held it to be an iron meteorite.
  • chondrite: Instead, Ida could well have a composition like that of ordinary chondrite meteorites, which are primitive and largely unaltered.