1.Any phenomenon or appearance in the atmosphere, as clouds, rain, hail, snow, etc. "Hail, an ordinary meteor."
2.Specif.: A transient luminous body or appearance seen in the atmosphere, or in a more elevated region. "The vaulty top of heaven Figured quite o'er with burning meteors."
3.A mass of stone or other substance which sometimes falls to the earth from space beyond the moon, burning up from atomospheric friction and creating a brilliant but usually very brief trail of light in the atmosphere; also called a shooting star. Note: The term is especially applied to fireballs, and the masses of stone or other substances which sometimes fall to the earth; also to shooting stars and to ignes fatui. Meteors are often classed as: aerial meteors, winds, tornadoes, etc.; aqueous meteors, rain, hail, snow, dew, etc.; luminous meteors, rainbows, halos, etc.; and igneous meteors, lightning, shooting stars, and the like.
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