Main Entry: com·et

Pronunciation: \ˈkä-mət\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English comete, from Old English cometa, from Latin, from Greek komētēs, literally, long-haired, from koman to wear long hair, from komē hair

Date: before 12th century

: a celestial body that appears as a fuzzy head usually surrounding a bright nucleus, that has a usually highly eccentric orbit, that consists primarily of ice and dust, and that often develops one or more long tails when near the sun

— com·e·tary \-mə-ˌter-ē\ adjective

— co·met·ic \kə-ˈme-tik, kä-\ adjective