asterism
Plural: asterisms
Noun
- A star-shaped figure exhibited by some crystals or minerals.
- (mineralogy) a star-shaped figure with six rays that is seen in some crystal structures under reflected or transmitted light
- (astronomy) a cluster of stars (or a small constellation)
- An unofficial constellation (small group of stars that forms a visible pattern).
- A rarely used typographical symbol of three asterisks arranged in a triangle, ⁂, used to call attention to a passage or to separate subchapters in a book. Distinct from a dinkus which also uses asterisks to separate.
- A star-shaped figure exhibited by some crystals by reflected light (as in a star sapphire) or by transmitted light (as in some mica).
Examples
- His play of ASTERISM created a starburst of scoring opportunities across the Scrabble board.
- The Big Dipper, Summer Triangle, and Orion's Belt are asterisms.
Origin / Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀστερισμός (asterismós, “group of stars”), from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”). Analyzable as aster- + -ism.
Scrabble Score: 10
asterism: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordasterism: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
asterism: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 11
asterism: valid Words With Friends Word