asterism: Meaning and Definition of

as•ter•ism

Pronunciation: (as'tu-riz"um), [key]
— n.
    1. a group of stars.
    2. a constellation.
  1. a property of some crystallized minerals of showing a starlike luminous figure in transmitted light or, in a cabochon-cut stone, by reflected light.
  2. three asterisks (&astlowastast; or &lowastastlowast;) printed to draw attention to a passage it precedes.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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