any plant of the genus Aster, having white, blue, purple, or pink daisy-like flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)
Compare golden aster
2. China aster
3. cytology
a group of radiating microtubules that surrounds the centrosome before and during mitosis
Word origin
C18: from New Latin, from Latin aster star, from Greek
-aster in British English
suffix forming nouns
a person or thing that is inferior or bears only a poor resemblance to what is specified
poetaster
Word origin
from Latin: suffix indicating imperfect resemblance
aster in American English
(ˈæstər)
noun
1.
any of a large genus (Aster) of plants of the composite family, with purplish, blue, pink, or white daisylikeflowers
2.
China aster
3.
a structure shaped like a star, formed during mitosis around the centrosome in the cytoplasm of a cell: not formed in seed plant cells
Word origin
ModL < L < Gr astēr, star
-aster in American English1
(ˈæstər)
star or starlike structure
diaster
Word origin
< Gr astēr, star
-aster in American English2
(ˈæstər)
a (specified) person or thing that is inferior or not genuine
poetaster
Word origin
L dim. suffix
Word lists with
aster
flower
All related terms of 'aster'
sea aster
a composite perennial plant of salt marshes , Aster tripolium, having yellow and purple flowers like those of the related Michaelmas daisy
China aster
a related Chinese plant, Callistephus chinensis, widely cultivated for its showy brightly coloured flowers
heath aster
a North American wildflower ( Aster ericoides ) of the composite family, with small, stiff leaves and white flowers, growing in dry , open places; dog fennel
golden aster
any North American plant of the genus Chrysopsis, esp C . mariana of the eastern US, having yellow rayed flowers: family Asteraceae ( composites )
white wood aster
a composite plant, Aster divaricatus , of North America, having flat-topped clusters of white ray flowers and growing in dry woods