asterism

asterism
asterism 1590s, "a constellation, a group of stars," from Gk. asterismos "a marking with stars," from aster "star" (see ASTRO- (Cf. astro-)). Any grouping of stars, whether a constellation or not (though in modern use, usually the latter). The "Big Dipper" is an asterism, not a constellation.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Asterism — may refer to:* Asterism (astronomy), a pattern of stars * Asterism (gemmology), an optical phenomenon in gemstones * Asterism (typography), a moderately rare typographical symbol denoting a break in passages …   Wikipedia

  • asterism — asterísm s. n. Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic  ASTERÍSM s.n. 1. Proprietate a unor minerale de a prezenta în masa lor cercuri luminoase în lumina reflectată prin ele în diferite direcţii. 2. (Rar) Constelaţie. [< fr …   Dicționar Român

  • Asterism — As ter*ism, n. [Gr. ?, fr. asth r star; cf. F. ast[ e]risme.] 1. (Astron.) (a) A constellation. [Obs.] (b) A small cluster of stars. [1913 Webster] 2. (Printing) (a) An asterisk, or mark of reference. [R.] (b) Three asterisks placed in this… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • asterism — [as′təriz΄əm] n. [Gr asterismos, a marking with stars < asterizein, to mark with stars < astēr, STAR] 1. a group or cluster of stars that may or may not form a constellation 2. Mineralogy a starlike figure produced in some crystals by… …   English World dictionary

  • Asterism — ⁂ Satzzeichen Punkt ( . ) Komma ( , ) Semikolon ( ; ) Doppelpunkt ( : ) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • asterism — asterismal, adj. /as teuh riz euhm/, n. 1. Astron. a. a group of stars. b. a constellation. 2. Mineral. a property of some crystallized minerals of showing a starlike luminous figure in transmitted light or, in a cabochon cut stone, by reflected… …   Universalium

  • Asterism (astronomy) — In astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars seen in Earth s sky which is not an official constellation. Like constellations, they are composed of stars which, while they are in the same general direction, are not physically related, often… …   Wikipedia

  • Asterism (gemmology) — This article is about the characteristic in some gems. For other uses, see Asterism (disambiguation). Asterism on the surface of a blue star sapphire. This is the 182 carat (36.4 g) Star of Bombay, housed in the National Museum of Natural History …   Wikipedia

  • Asterism (typography) — For other uses of this term, please refer to Asterism disambiguation page. In typography, an asterism is a rarely used symbol consisting of three asterisks placed in a triangle (Unicode|⁂). It is used to call attention to a passage or to separate …   Wikipedia

  • asterism — noun Etymology: Greek asterismos, from asterizein to arrange in constellations, from aster , astēr Date: 1598 1. a. constellation b. a small group of stars 2. a star shaped figure exhibited by some crystals by reflected light (as in a star… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”