any composite plant of the genus Aster, having rays varying from white or pink to blue around a yellow disk.
a plant of some allied genus, as the China aster.
Cell Biology. a structure formed in a cell during mitosis, composed of astral rays radiating about the centrosome.
Furniture. sunflower.
any plant of the genus Aster, having white, blue, purple, or pink daisy-like flowers: family Asteraceae (composites) Compare golden aster
a related Chinese plant, Callistephus chinensis, widely cultivated for its showy brightly coloured flowers
cytology a group of radiating microtubules that surrounds the centrosome before and during mitosis
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.
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.
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin, from Greek astḗr “star”; cf. star
From Latin
An aster is a flower that's related to the daisy. Asters tend to bloom in the late summer or early fall, and they come in many different colors. If you plant asters in the spring, you'll be rewarded with purple and pink blossoms a few months later. Asters are perennial plants, so they continue to grow and bloom again year after year. There are hundreds of different varieties of asters, but most of them have small, daisy-like flower heads, almost star shaped — which is why the plant is called aster, the Latin word for "star."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Conserving this area will protect important wildlife and plant habitats, including those necessary to support the desert tortoise, desert bighorn sheep and the Mecca aster, among others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2023
At a gated agricultural plot on the Penn State Berks Campus, pollinators hum to and fro through rolling fields of aster and goldenrod.
From National Geographic ● Aug. 31, 2023
Some too-energetic edits from the formal areas, including the Silphium and Tatarian aster, are also finding homes in the nearly wild garden.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2022
The plant is an aster that sends out long, flat leaves from a central stalk in a circular pattern known as a rosette.
From New York Times ● Aug. 1, 2022
They were a tiara of woven silver leaves and a silver chain on which hung an aster made of lapis.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
When the cell enters the next interphase and the asters reform, the cytoplasm stiffens again and stabilizes the band.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2026
Jose Campos, co-manager of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing nursery unloads four pots of native California asters for planting on the crossing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025
The treed “Woodland Garden” to the west, with black tupelo and swamp white oaks, gives way to a “Perennial Meadow,” whose asters, purple beebalms and orange butterfly weed were chosen for their chromatic effect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2025
Purple asters in mid-bloom awaited the rising sun.
From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2023
"We have seaside goldenrod and wild asters and woolly ragwort."
From "Sarah, Plain and Tall" by Patricia MacLachlan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
