Etymology

From Latin meteorum, from Ancient Greek μετέωρον ‎(metéōron), from μετέωρος ‎(metéōros, “raised from the ground, hanging, lofty”), from μετά ‎(metá, “in the midst of, among, between”) (English meta) + ἀείρω ‎(aeírō, “to lift, to heave, to raise up”).

Original sense of “atmospheric phenomenon” gave rise to meteorology, now restricted to extraterrestrial objects burning up as they enter the atmosphere.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: me‧te‧oor