Elements of the Universe: Aster, Astro ("Star")

The ancients believed that the universe was composed of five basic elements: earth, air, fire, water, and sky. The Greek and Latin words for these elements still show up in our language today. Learn these words that come from the Greek word astron, meaning "star."

Here are links to our complete set of Elements of the Universe lists: Cosm, Cosmo ("Universe") / Terr, Terra ("Earth") / Geo ("Earth") / Hydr, Hydro ("Water") / Aqua ("Water") / Ign, Igni ("Fire") / Pyr, Pyro ("Fire") / Aer, Aero ("Air") / Aether ("Sky") / Aster, Astro ("Star") / Sol ("Sun")
12 words 4585 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. astronomy
    the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies
    Astronomy has been a part of Hawaiian heritage since Polynesian sailors reached the islands more than 1,000 years ago, navigating by the stars. Nature (Aug 3, 2015)
    astron + nomos ("arranging")
  2. astronomical
    inconceivably large
    Health care costs were astronomical and continuing to escalate. Washington Post (Jul 8, 2015)
    The adjective can literally describe something connected to astronomy, but it can also be used figuratively to describe something of great magnitude.
  3. astrology
    divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon
    Quick primer: Unlike the 12 zodiac signs in Western astrology that correspond to the month of your birth, Chinese zodiac signs are instead assigned to the year. Los Angeles Times (Jan 30, 2019)
    astron + logy (suffix meaning "science")
    Although it was originally connected with astronomy, today astrology is viewed as a pseudoscience.
  4. astrophysics
    the study of the properties of celestial bodies
    An astronomer interested in Einstein’s theory because of its wide-ranging implications for astrophysics and cosmology, Eddington took on the task of proving it. Nature (Apr 14, 2019)
    astron + physica ("study of nature") + ics (suffix forming names of sciences or disciplines)
  5. astrobiology
    the study of living organism throughout the universe
    This field of astrobiology is a field of people who think about life on other planets. The New Yorker (Jul 8, 2019)
    astron + bios ("life") + logy (suffix meaning "science")
  6. astronaut
    a person trained to travel in a spacecraft
    Astronauts have been growing crops in space for years for research, but this is the first time they have been allowed to eat their produce. BBC (Aug 10, 2015)
    astron + nautes ("sailor")
  7. asteroid
    a small celestial body composed of rock and metal
    Space is a dusty place, rich with particles expelled by supernovas and shed from planets, asteroids and comets. Scientific American (Aug 14, 2019)
    astron + eidos ("shape, form")
    The word can also be an adjective that means "shaped like a star."
  8. asterisk
    a star-shaped character used in printing
    The magazine was printed somewhere in Maine and full of stenciled poems and descriptive paragraphs separated from each other by asterisks. The Bell Jar
  9. aster
    a chiefly fall-blooming herb with showy daisylike flowers
    The asterworts, that is, such flowers as the daisy, aster, golden rod, dandelion and thistle, are particularly full of beauty. Sargent, Frederick Leroy
    An aster is so-called because its petals look like the rays of a star.
  10. astral
    being or relating to or resembling or emanating from stars
    Undeterred, Richards plots a course directly into the “cosmic storm area,” subjecting his fellow travelers to an astral bombardment that sends the ship plummeting back to Earth. Slate (Aug 10, 2015)
  11. astrolabe
    instrument used to calculate positions of celestial bodies
    The vessel’s astrolabe , an instrument used for navigation before the sextant was developed, is included among the artifacts. Washington Times (Jul 1, 2018)
    astron + lambanien ("to take")
    The astrolabe is an device that can help identify celestial bodies and navigate. Today, astrolabes have been replaced by telescopes and satellites.
  12. astrolatry
    the worship of planets or stars
    Solar pantheism, which grew up among the Syrians of the Hellenistic period as a result of the influence of Chaldean astrolatry, imposed itself upon the whole Roman world under the empire. Cumont, Franz
    astron + latreia ("worship,")
Created on Fri Aug 14 11:57:28 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Aug 26 14:35:31 EDT 2019)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.