meteorite

American  

[mee-tee-uh-rahyt] / ˈmi ti əˌraɪt /

noun

meteorites plural

1. a mass of stone or metal that has reached the earth from outer space; a fallen meteoroid.

2. a meteoroid.

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meteorite British  

/ ˌmiːtɪəˈrɪtɪk, ˈmiːtɪəˌraɪt /

noun

1. a rocklike object consisting of the remains of a meteoroid that has fallen on earth. It may be stony (chondrite), iron, or stony iron (pallasite) See chondrite

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meteorite Scientific  

/ mē′tē-ə-rīt′ /

1. A meteor that reaches the Earth's surface because it has not been burned up by friction with the atmosphere. Meteorites are believed to be fragments of comets and asteroids.

2. ◆ Meteorites that consist mostly of silicates are called stony meteorites and are classified as either chondrites or achondrites.

3. ◆ Meteorites that consist mostly of iron are called iron meteorites.

4. ◆ Meteorites that consist of a mixture of silicates and iron are called stony-iron meteorites.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• meteorital
  adjective
• meteoritic
  adjective
• meteoritical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• meteorites
  plural

Etymology

Origin of meteorite

First recorded in 1815–25; meteor + -ite ¹

Explanation

A meteorite is a rock that falls to earth after a brilliant meteor has passed through the earth's atmosphere. If you've ever seen a shooting star at night, you can call what you're watching zip brightly across the sky a meteor. If that same meteor makes it through the atmosphere of the earth, its fire burns out and it becomes a meteorite, or a random piece of space debris that may have originally come from an asteroid or comet. The Greek root for both meteor and meteorite is ta meteora, "things in heaven above."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

meteorite meteorites

"Only a minute fraction of the projectile is preserved in the planet's KT clay layer because the entire meteorite vaporized upon impact."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

That closely matches what the team observed in the Murchison meteorite.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

Instead of Martian rocks, the team tested samples from the famous Murchison meteorite, which fell in Australia in 1969.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

It all started when a geologist friend told her she could buy a small piece of a lunar meteorite called Bechar 003, so she did.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

Collisions among the asteroids happen frequently, and occasionally a piece is chipped off and accidentally intercepts the Earth, falling to the ground as a meteorite.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

With the new calculation, the Sun's silver abundance is now much more consistent with the amount found in these ancient meteorites.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

The database could also improve scientists' ability to interpret the history recorded inside meteorites and asteroid fragments.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Of the more than 80,000 meteorites found on Earth, just 68 belong to the angrite group.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

These meteorites have long puzzled scientists because of their unusual composition.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

And then they’re fleeing in a second rain of meteorites, their arms helmetting their heads, as they run away from us.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson