bolide

American  

[boh-lahyd, -lid] / ˈboʊ laɪd, -lɪd /

noun

Astronomy.

1. a large, brilliant meteor, especially one that explodes; fireball.

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bolide British  

/ -lɪd, ˈbəʊlaɪd /

noun

1. Also called: fireball.  a large exceptionally bright meteor that often explodes

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Etymology

Origin of bolide

First recorded in 1850–55; from French, from Greek bolid- (stem of bolís ) “missile”

Example Sentences

It was also a massive learning experience for scientists, the largest atmospheric impact since the Tunguska bolide in 1908.

From Scientific American • Feb. 15, 2023

The meteor - sometimes called a bolide for its particularly intense brightness - could be seen by much of southern Norway.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2022

Still, with all this evidence, one large piece remained missing: the crater where the bolide impact.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Astrophysicists say it was a bolide, or a meteor that explodes in the air.

From Newsweek • Feb. 15, 2013

A bolide had fallen into the Catanian sea—he took me to the port and showed me precisely where.

From Castellinaria and Other Sicilian Diversions by Jones, Henry Festing