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asterism.

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

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈas.təˌɹɪz.əm/UK/ˈæs.təˌrɪz.əm/US
  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. 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.

  3. A star-shaped figure exhibited by some crystals by reflected light (as in a star sapphire) or by transmitted light (as in some mica).

Where this word comes from

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

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.