overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

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).

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈmiːtɪ.ə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmiːtɪɔː/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmi.tiɚ/US[ˈmi.ɾiɚ]US
  1. 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).

  2. A fast-moving streak of light in the night sky caused by the entry of extraterrestrial matter into the earth's atmosphere; a shooting star or falling star.

  3. A prop similar to poi balls, in that it is twirled at the end of a cord or cable.

  4. A striking weapon resembling a track and field hammer consisting of a weight swung at the end of a cable or chain.

  5. Any short-lived source of wonderment.

    figuratively
Where this word comes from

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.

verb/ˈmiːtɪ.ə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmiːtɪɔː/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmi.tiɚ/US[ˈmi.ɾiɚ]US
  1. To move at great speed.

    intransitive
Where this word comes from

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.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

meteor has 6 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

meteor studiometeor workshello, meteor

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

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.