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

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

The California bolide, like its African predecessor, made a well-documented entry—three Doppler radar stations picked up the track of the fireball, pointing the way to meteorite fragments on the ground.

From Scientific American • Dec. 20, 2012

Shouldn't we be as safe out there as that bolide?

From All Around the Moon by Roth, Edward