aster [as-ter] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- any composite plant of the genus Aster, having rays varying from white or pink to blue around a yellow disk.
- a plant of some allied genus, as the China aster.
- Cell Biology. a structure formed in a cell during mitosis, composed of astral rays radiating about the centrosome.
- Furniture. sunflower(def 2).
Origin of aster 1595–1605; Latin Greek astḗr star -aster 1
- a diminutive or pejorative suffix denoting something that imperfectly resembles or mimics the true thing: criticaster; poetaster, oleaster.
Origin of -aster 1From Latin -aster 2
- Chiefly Biology. a combining form with the meaning “star,” used in the formation of compound words: diaster.
Origin of -aster 2Greek astḗr star; cf. astro- Examples from the Web for aster Historical Examples of aster
They claim it both suits the Aster and helps to keep off root-lice.
Various
The Aster will stand more in the way of lifting than any other plant I know.
Various
Root-lice, blue aphis, etc., is one of the most common enemies of the Aster.
Various
No one but an artist should attempt to describe an Aster’s colors.
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Even in our mother’s day it was still called the China Aster.
Various
British Dictionary definitions for aster aster noun
- any plant of the genus Aster, having white, blue, purple, or pink daisy-like flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)Compare golden aster
- China aster a related Chinese plant, Callistephus chinensis, widely cultivated for its showy brightly coloured flowers
- cytology a group of radiating microtubules that surrounds the centrosome before and during mitosis
Word Origin for aster C18: from New Latin, from Latin aster star, from Greek -aster suffix forming nouns
- a person or thing that is inferior or bears only a poor resemblance to what is specifiedpoetaster
Word Origin for -aster from Latin: suffix indicating imperfect resemblance Word Origin and History for aster n.
flower genus, 1706, from Latin aster “star” (see star (n.)); so called for the radiate heads of the flowers. Originally used in English in the Latin sense (c.1600) but this is obsolete.
-aster
word-forming element expressing incomplete resemblance (e.g. poetaster), usually diminutive and deprecatory, from Latin, from Greek -aster, suffix originally forming nouns from verbs ending in -azein, later generalized as a pejorative suffix, e.g. Greek patraster “he who plays the father.”
aster in Medicine aster [ăs′tər] n.
- astrosphere