meteorite

me·te·or·ite

noun \ˈmē-tē-ə-ˌrīt\

: a piece of rock or metal that has fallen to the ground from outer space : a meteor that reaches the surface of the Earth without burning up entirely

Full Definition of METEORITE

:  a meteor that reaches the surface of the earth without being completely vaporized

— me·te·or·it·ic \ˌmē-tē-ə-ˈri-tik\ also me·te·or·it·i·cal \-ti-kəl\ adjective

First Known Use of METEORITE

1824

Rhymes with METEORITE

adipocyte, alexandrite, amazonite, amoebocyte, amyl nitrite, anthophyllite, anti-Semite, butyl nitrite, cosmopolite, dermatophyte, electrolyte, embryophyte, exurbanite, gemütlichkeit, Gibeonite, Gileadite, go fly a kite, hermaphrodite, idiot light, Indo-Hittite, McCarthyite, Michiganite, Midianite, multipartite, New Hampshirite, New Jerseyite, potato blight, property right, quadripartite, Rhode Island White, spermatocyte, substantive right, suburbanite, sweetness and light, theodolite, Turkish delight, Wyomingite

meteorite

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any interplanetary particle or chunk of stony or metallic matter (meteoroid) that survives passage through Earth's atmosphere and strikes the ground or that reaches the surface of another planet or moon. On Earth the speed of entry—at least 7 mi/second (11 km/second)—generates enough friction with the air to vaporize part or all of the meteoroid and produce a streak of light (meteor). Though vast numbers of meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere each year, only a few hundred reach the ground.