Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various plants of the genus Aster or closely related genera in the composite family, having radiate flower heads with white, pink, or violet rays and usually a yellow disk.
- noun The China aster.
- noun Biology A star-shaped structure formed in the cytoplasm of an animal cell during mitosis, having raylike microtubules that surround the centrosome.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In ornithology, same as
Astur . - noun A suffix of Latin origin, forming contemptuous diminutives, as in criticaster, poetaster. It occurs without recognized diminutive force in pinaster, oleaster (which see).
- noun A star.
- noun A plant of the genus Aster.
- noun [capitalized] [NL.] A large genus of plants, natural order Compositæ, natives of Europe, Asia, and America, but chiefly of North America, about 120 species occurring in the United States.
- noun A name of plants of some allied genera, as the Cape aster (Agathæa amelloides), the China aster (Callistephus Chinensis), the false aster (Boltonia), the golden aster (Chrysopsis), and the white-topped aster (Sericocarpus).—5. In biology, a karyokinetic figure intervening in time between the rosette and the diaster during the changes in the nucleus of a cell. See
diaster and karyokinesis. - noun In sponges, a multiactinate microsclere: same as
euaster . - noun In cytology, the star-shaped structure at either pole of the karyokinetic figure during cell-division: same as
karyaster (which see). - noun Two small arches of precious metal, transversely riveted (said to have been invented by St. John Chrysostom), placed over the sacred wafer in the paten in preparation for the eucharistic sacrifice, to prevent the veil from touching it: now out of use.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) A genus of herbs with compound white or bluish flowers; starwort; Michaelmas daisy.
- noun (Floriculture) A plant of the genus Callistephus. Many varieties (called
China asters ,German asters , etc.) are cultivated for their handsome compound flowers. - noun (Biol.) A star-shaped figure of achromatic substance found chiefly in cells dividing by mitosis.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun obsolete A
star . - noun Any of several
plants of the genusAster ; one of itsflowers . - noun biology A
star -shaped structure formed during themitosis of acell .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun star-shaped structure formed in the cytoplasm of a cell having fibers like rays that surround the centrosome during mitosis
- noun any of various chiefly fall-blooming herbs of the genus Aster with showy daisylike flowers
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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After breakfast in Britain, I came out in the dawn and picked a purple aster from a flower bed.
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+ The word aster may mean a comet; the star of the Magi was a comet.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 9: Laprade-Mass Liturgy 1840-1916 1913
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The name aster is derived from the Latin word astrum and the Greek word astron, both of which mean star.
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The aster is A. frikartii ‘Monch’ and the fuchsia flower is Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’.
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The golden-rod and the aster are the characteristic autumn flowers in that zone of our continent in which New England is embraced, and the sunflower is a very common flower at that season.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 76, February, 1864 Various
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Two other beautiful species found hereabouts are the aster azureus, which blooms from August until after frost, with a slender but stiff and roughish stem, and many bright violet-blue flowers with short rays; and the aster Shortii, or Short's aster, which is found on banks and along the edges of woods and does not usually bloom until
Some Summer Days in Iowa Frederick John Lazell 1905
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The so-called aster, grown by florists, and in general gardens, is not
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Aster yellows is a disease that affects over 300 species of plants, including ornamentals such as aster, coneflower, zinnia, marigold, chrysanthemum, petunia, and snapdragon.
E-China-See-Ya~A Public Service Announcement « Fairegarden 2009
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In Latin, the suffix "- aster" indicates partial resemblance.
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In Latin, the suffix "- aster" indicates partial resemblance.
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