-aster

¹

1. a diminutive or pejorative suffix denoting something that imperfectly resembles or mimics the true thing.

   criticaster; poetaster, oleaster.

-aster

²

1. Chiefly Biology.,  a combining form with the meaning “star,” used in the formation of compound words.

   diaster.

aster

³

[as-ter]

noun

1. any composite plant of the genus Aster, having rays varying from white or pink to blue around a yellow disk.

2. a plant of some allied genus, as the China aster.

3. Cell Biology.,  a structure formed in a cell during mitosis, composed of astral rays radiating about the centrosome.

4. Furniture.,  sunflower.

aster

¹

/ ˈæstə /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Aster, having white, blue, purple, or pink daisy-like flowers: family Asteraceae (composites) Compare golden aster

2. a related Chinese plant, Callistephus chinensis, widely cultivated for its showy brightly coloured flowers

3. cytology a group of radiating microtubules that surrounds the centrosome before and during mitosis

-aster

²

suffix

1. a person or thing that is inferior or bears only a poor resemblance to what is specified

   poetaster

Word History and Origins

Origin of -aster¹

From Latin

Origin of -aster²

< Greek astḗr star; astro-

Origin of -aster³

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin, from Greek astḗr “star”; star

Word History and Origins

Origin of -aster¹

C18: from New Latin, from Latin aster star, from Greek

Origin of -aster²

from Latin: suffix indicating imperfect resemblance

Example Sentences

It’s not that Collette’s performance in Ari Aster’s 2018 horror film is so bad that it’s worthy of a class action lawsuit, but rather, that her work is so incredibly good that hearing about how Collette was robbed of a nomination has become utterly banal.

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The exasperatingly foreseeable ending has a “that’s all?” quality, because you know that in the hands of a Cronenberg or Carpenter — or even relative newbies Ari Aster or Zach Cregger — the situation would be smearing the inside of your brain for a week afterward.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Then he and his team helped Nadia Gonzalez of Puente Strategies, the project’s media coordinator, lay down plywood boards to minimize soil compaction during the ceremony, while Rock, Samaniego, Campos and junior landscape designer Makala Gibson dug holes for the plants chosen for the ceremony: bush sunflower, California fuchsia, more Santa Barbara milk vetch, California aster and purple needle grass.

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Unlike Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” which spent far too much time telling the viewer exactly what they already knew about our postmodern psychosis, Anderson grapples with not just what humanity is, but what it can become.

Read more on Salon

He currently stars as a young police officer in “Eddington,” the latest film from “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” filmmaker Aster.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does -aster mean?

The combining form -aster is used like a suffix that has two distinct senses.The first of these senses is to denote something that imperfectly resembles or mimics the true thing, typically as a pejorative (negative) or diminutive (implying something is small). This form of -aster is occasionally used in a variety of everyday and technical terms. The form -aster comes from Latin -aster, which indicates a partial resemblance to something and may be pejorative depending on context.The second of these senses is “star,” and this form of -aster is occasionally used in a variety of scientific terms, particularly in biology. This form of -aster comes from Greek astḗr, meaning "star." The Latin cognate of astḗr is stella, also meaning “star,” which can be found in words such as stellar and stelliferous. Check out our entries for both words to learn more.What are variants of -aster with the sense “star”?While not a variant of -aster, the combining form astro- has a similar meaning: "related to stars." Learn more about the form astro- at our Words That Use article for the term.

When To Use

What is an aster?

An aster is a flower with a white, pink, blue, or purple petals around a yellow middle.The name aster can be used for any plant in the genus Aster. Asters are similar to daisies and are in the same family. They are sometimes called Michaelmas daisies.Species of asters commonly planted in gardens include those known as the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) and the New York aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii). Some varieties of asters are used as cut flowers by florists.The aster is one of the September birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone).Example: We planted asters around the grass in the garden.