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asterism

as·te·rism

UK/ˈas.təˌɹɪz.əm/ US/ˈæs.təˌrɪz.əm/ uncommon

noun

1.

(mineralogy) a six-rayed star-shaped figure seen in some crystal structures under reflected or transmitted light

2.

(astronomy) a cluster of stars (or a small constellation)

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἀστερισμός (asterismós, “a group of stars”), from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”). Analyzable as aster- + -ism.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.