Asterism — may refer to:* Asterism (astronomy), a pattern of stars * Asterism (gemmology), an optical phenomenon in gemstones * Asterism (typography), a moderately rare typographical symbol denoting a break in passages … Wikipedia
Asterism — As ter*ism, n. [Gr. ?, fr. asth r star; cf. F. ast[ e]risme.] 1. (Astron.) (a) A constellation. [Obs.] (b) A small cluster of stars. [1913 Webster] 2. (Printing) (a) An asterisk, or mark of reference. [R.] (b) Three asterisks placed in this… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
asterism — 1590s, a constellation, a group of stars, from Gk. asterismos a marking with stars, from aster star (see ASTRO (Cf. astro )). Any grouping of stars, whether a constellation or not (though in modern use, usually the latter). The Big Dipper is an… … Etymology dictionary
asterism — [as′təriz΄əm] n. [Gr asterismos, a marking with stars < asterizein, to mark with stars < astēr, STAR] 1. a group or cluster of stars that may or may not form a constellation 2. Mineralogy a starlike figure produced in some crystals by… … English World dictionary
Asterism — ⁂ Satzzeichen Punkt ( . ) Komma ( , ) Semikolon ( ; ) Doppelpunkt ( : ) … Deutsch Wikipedia
asterism — asterismal, adj. /as teuh riz euhm/, n. 1. Astron. a. a group of stars. b. a constellation. 2. Mineral. a property of some crystallized minerals of showing a starlike luminous figure in transmitted light or, in a cabochon cut stone, by reflected… … Universalium
Asterism (astronomy) — In astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars seen in Earth s sky which is not an official constellation. Like constellations, they are composed of stars which, while they are in the same general direction, are not physically related, often… … Wikipedia
Asterism (gemmology) — This article is about the characteristic in some gems. For other uses, see Asterism (disambiguation). Asterism on the surface of a blue star sapphire. This is the 182 carat (36.4 g) Star of Bombay, housed in the National Museum of Natural History … Wikipedia
Asterism (typography) — For other uses of this term, please refer to Asterism disambiguation page. In typography, an asterism is a rarely used symbol consisting of three asterisks placed in a triangle (Unicode|⁂). It is used to call attention to a passage or to separate … Wikipedia
asterism — noun Etymology: Greek asterismos, from asterizein to arrange in constellations, from aster , astēr Date: 1598 1. a. constellation b. a small group of stars 2. a star shaped figure exhibited by some crystals by reflected light (as in a star… … New Collegiate Dictionary
