earthstar

[ urth-stahr ]

noun
  1. a fungus of the genus Geaster, having an outer covering that splits into the form of a star.

  2. any of various bromeliads of the genus Cryptanthus, native to Brazil, having rosettes of stiff, prickly leaves.

Origin of earthstar

1
First recorded in 1810–20; earth + star

Words Nearby earthstar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for earthstar

earthstar

/ (ˈɜːθˌstɑː) /


noun
  1. any of various basidiomycetous saprotrophic woodland fungi of the genus Geastrum, whose brown onion-shaped reproductive body splits into a star shape to release the spores

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012