meteorite

[mee-tee-uh-rahyt] /ˈmi ti əˌraɪt/
noun
1.
a mass of stone or metal that has reached the earth from outer space; a fallen meteoroid.
2.
a meteoroid.
Origin
1815-25; meteor + -ite1
Related forms
meteoritic
[mee-tee-uh-rit-ik] /ˌmi ti əˈrɪt ɪk/ (Show IPA), meteoritical, meteorital
[mee-tee-uh-rahyt-l] /ˌmi ti əˈraɪt l/ (Show IPA), adjective
Can be confused
meteor, meteoric, meteorite, meteoroid.
Examples from the web for meteorites
  • In other words our life must have come from other worlds by meteorites.
  • meteorites have been pounding the moon for centuries.
  • Possible cold debris or meteorites on ground afterwords.
  • Another theory centers on water-laden comets and meteorites hitting the moon.
  • Metal-rich meteorites include irons with little stony material and stony-irons which are part iron and part stone.
British Dictionary definitions for meteorites

meteorite

/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
Derived Forms
meteoritic (ˌmiːtɪəˈrɪtɪk) adjective
Word Origin and History for meteorites

meteorite

n.

"rock that falls to earth, after streaking across the sky as a meteor," 1818, from meteor + -ite.

meteorites in Science
meteorite
  (mē'tē-ə-rīt')   
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. ◇ Meteorites that consist mostly of silicates are called stony meteorites and are classified as either chondrites or achondrites. ◇ Meteorites that consist mostly of iron are called iron meteorites. ◇ Meteorites that consist of a mixture of silicates and iron are called stony-iron meteorites.
meteorites in Culture

meteorites definition


Objects from outside the Earth that enter the Earth's field of gravitation and fall to the Earth's surface. Meteors, on the other hand, are objects from space that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

Note: Meteorites are bodies that are left over from the time when the planets formed, and therefore give us clues about the formation of the solar system.