star
UK /stɑː(ɹ)/ · US /stɑɹ/ noun, verb, proper noun
Also a form of starr
- noun Any small, natural and bright dot in the sky, most visible in the night or twilight sky. This sense includes the planets, but it is now sometimes used in exclusion of them due to influence from the technical astronomical sense. “He loved watching the stars in the sky with her.”
- noun (astrology, typically in the plural) A planet thought to influence one's fate; (figuratively) fate or luck. “What's in the stars for you today? Find out in our horoscope.”
- noun (astronomy) A very massive ball of plasma with strong enough gravity to have ongoing fusion of hydrogen or heavier elements in its core. In strict technical usage, the Sun is included.
- noun (printing) An asterisk (*) or comparable symbol (e.g., ★, ☆, ✶, ✦, ✧, ✷, ✪, ⭐) inspired by a celestial star.
- noun (networking, figurative in origin) A network topology with multiple computers individually merging to one central switch, thus free of risk of collisions. A single point of failure can occur if the switch experiences corruption.
- noun A simple dance, or part of a dance, where a group of four dancers each put their right or left hand in the middle and turn around in a circle. You call them right-hand stars or left-hand stars, depending on the hand which is in the middle.
- noun A star-shaped ornament worn on the breast to indicate rank or honour in a military. Now often used metonymically for military rankings. “three-star general”
- noun A symbol used to rate hotels, films, etc. with a higher number of stars denoting better quality.
- verb (intransitive) To appear as a featured performer or headliner, especially in an entertainment program. “She starred in dozens of silent movies.”
- verb (transitive) To feature (a performer or a headliner), especially in a movie or an entertainment program. “The show stars Calista Flockhart as a high-powered lawyer.”
- verb (transitive) To mark with a star or asterisk.
- verb (transitive) To set or adorn with stars, or bright, radiating bodies; to bespangle.
- verb (intransitive) To shine like a star.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A female given name from English.
- proper noun A hamlet in Lamont County, Alberta, Canada.
- proper noun A work settlement in the Dyatkovsky District, Bryansk Oblast, Russia.
- proper noun A village in the Maryovsky District, Novgorod Oblast, Russia.
- proper noun A hamlet in Shipham civil parish, Somerset, England.
- proper noun A small village in Fife council area, Scotland, also known as Star of Markinch.
Synonyms
aster ✶ ＊ sun asterisk ace adept champion sensation maven mavin virtuoso genius hotshot superstar whiz whizz wizard wiz principal lead headliner star topology leading prima starring stellar
Etymology
From Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra (“star”), from Proto-West Germanic *sterrō, variant of *sternō, from Proto-Germanic *sternô, *sternǭ (“star”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (“star”). Doublet of aster; related to estoile, étoile, stella, and stelo.
Cognate with Scots starn, ster (“star”), Yola starr, steor (“star”), Saterland Frisian Stiern (“star”), West Frisian stjer (“star”), Cimbrian stèrn (“star”), Dutch ster (“star”), German Stern (“star”), Luxembourgish Stär (“star”), Mòcheno stern (“star”), Vilamovian śtaom (“star”), Yiddish שטערן (shtern, “star”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål stjerne (“star”), Faroese stjørna (“star”), Gutnish stjännå (“star”), Icelandic stjarna (“star”), Norwegian Nynorsk skjødna, stjerne (“star”), Swedish stjärna (“star”), Crimean Gothic stein (“star”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌽𐍉 (stairnō, “star”), French étoile (“star”), Istriot stila (“star”), Istro-Romanian ste (“star”), Italian stella (“star”), Megleno-Romanian steau̯ă (“star”), Mirandese streilha (“star”), Occitan estela (“star”), Portuguese estrela (“star”), Romansh staila (“star”), Romanian stea (“star”), Sardinian isteddu (“star”), Sicilian stidda (“star”), Spanish estrella (“star”), Venetan stéła (“star”), Walloon sitoele (“star”), Latin stēlla (“star”), Ancient Greek ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”), Greek αστέρι (astéri, “star”), Old Armenian աստղ (astł, “star”), Persian ستاره (setâre, “star”), Tajik ситора (sitora, “star”), Pashto ستوری (storay, “star”), Mazanderani اساره (ëssâre, “star”), Northern Kurdish stêr (“star”), Central Kurdish ئەستێرە (estêre, “star”), Zazaki astare (“star”), Ossetian стъалы (st’aly, “star”), Hindi तारा (tārā, “star”), Urdu تارا (tārā, “star”), Punjabi ਤਾਰਾ (tārā, “star”), Gujarati તારો (tāro, “star”), Sanskrit तारा (tārā, “star”).
* As a German and Jewish surname, from Star (“starling”).
* Also as a German and Jewish surname, semantic loan from German Stern (“star”).
* As a Dutch surname, from star (“stiff, rigid”).
* As a Slovene surname, from star (“old”).
* As an English given name, from star, sometimes originating as a nickname.
Abbreviation.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One of the innumerable luminous bodies seen in the heavens; any heavenly body other than the sun, moon, comets, and nebulæ.
- noun The polestar; the north star. Shak.
- verb To set or adorn with stars, or bright, radiating bodies; to bespangle; as, a robe starred with gems. "A sable curtain starred with gold." Young.
- verb To be bright, or attract attention, as a star; to shine like a star; to be brilliant or prominent; to play a part as a theatrical star. W. Irving.
Etymology [OE. sterre, AS. steorra; akin to OFries. stera, OS. sterro, D. ster, OHG. sterno, sterro, G. stern, Icel. stjarna, Sw. stjerna, Dan. stierne, Goth. staírno, Armor. & Corn. stern, L. stella, Gr. star; perhaps from a root meaning, to seater, Skr. st, L. sternere (cf. Stratum), and originally applied to the stars as beingstrewn over the sky, or as beingscatterers or spreaders of light. *296. Cf. Aster, Asteroid, Constellation, Disaster, Stellar.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “star”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details