meteoric 
Meteoric swarm. Same as meteor-cloud. Meteoric 
waters, waters which accrue from condensation of the 
vapors suspended in the atmosphere. Thomas, Med. Diet. 
meteorical (uie-te-or'i-kal), a. [< meteoric + 
-aZ.] Same as meteoric. [Bare.] 
I see a resemblance of that meteorical light which appears 
in moorish places, that seems fire, but is nothing but a 
flimsy glittering exhalation. Bp. Hall, Soliloquies, xii. 
Meteorinae (me"te-o-ri'ue), . pi. [NL., < Me- 
teorus + -ince."] A' subfamily of Sraconida; or 
adscite ichneumon-flies, typified by the genus 
Meteorus, mainly parasitic on lepidopterous in- 
sects, having the abdomen petiolate and the 
fore wings with three submarginal cells. 
meteorism (me'te-o-rizm), . [= F. meteorisme 
= Sp. Pg. It. me'teorismo, < NL. meteorismus, < 
Gr. fieTcupiafioi;, a being raised up, swelling, < 
/tereapi(ea>, raise up, < fierkupos, raised up: see 
meteor."] Iiipatltol., flatulent distention of the 
abdomen; tympanitis. 
meteorite (me'te-or-it), . [< meteor + -ite' 2 .~\ 
A mineral or metallic mass of extraterrestrial 
origin, or which, to use the common expression, 
has "fallen from the heavens." Bodies of this kind 
were formerly often called aerolites, but meteorite is now 
their generally accepted name among scientific men. The 
fall of meteorites upon the earth is a by no means infre- 
quent occurrence, and records of such events date back to 
many centuries before the present era. Traditions point 
to the very early use of meteoric iron for the manufacture 
of weapons ; and it is also known that meteorites were not 
unfrequently the objects of worship in various parts of the 
world. In spite of this, the fall of rocks or metals from 
the heavens seemed to be so improbable an event that full 
credence was not given by scientific men to stories of such 
occurrences until about the beginning of the present cen- 
tury, when, several falls having taken place (at Barbotan, 
France, 1790 ; Siena, 1794 ; Wold Cottage, Yorkshire, Eng., 
1795; Sale's, France, 1798; Benares, 1798; L'Aigle, France, 
1803), the details of some of which were thoroughly in- 
vestigated, a further denial of their genuineness became 
impossible. From the time of the fall at L'Aigle all doubt 
in the matter was abandoned. There are now several col- 
lections of meteorites, each of which contains specimens 
of between 300 and 400 different falls, and the whole num- 
ber known is not far from 400, although it is by no means 
the case with all these occurrences that the specimens 
were seen to fall ; many of them have been found on the 
earth's surface, but have been recognized as being extra- 
terrestrial by their peculiar appearance and composition. 
The most important facts with regard to meteorites may 
be concisely stated as follows : They have not been found 
to contain any element not known to occur on the earth ; 
they have furnished no evidence of the existence of life 
on the body or bodies of which they originally formed a 
part ; they bear no indications of having been formed in 
the presence of water, or of the existence of water beyond 
the earth's atmosphere in the regions from which they 
came ; they do exhibit abundant evidence of having had 
what geologists would call an "igneous origin"; they are 
never granitic in character, but resemble very closely cer- 
tain volcanic rocks of not infrequent occurrence, with this 
difference, that in the case of the meteorites the iron as- 
sociated with the silicated combinations exists in the me- 
tallic form, while in the terrestrial volcanic rocks it is, 
with rare exceptions, oxidized. Furthermore, meteorites, 
almost without exception, show a certain family resem- 
blance ; so that it is necessary to admit, either that they 
all originally formed a part of one celestial body, or else 
that, having come from various members of the solar sys- 
tem, or from other systems, these have a wonderful resem- 
blance to each other and to the earth itself. The most 
obvious division of meteorites is into metallic and stony, 
but the passage from one class to the other is by no means 
an abrupt one. All metallic meteorites agree in that the 
predominating metal is iron, with which nickel is almost 
invariably associated ; indeed, it has not been proved that 
there is any meteoric iron entirely free from that metal. 
With the nickel 
cobalt is almost 
always found, as 
is the case in ter- 
restrial combina- 
tions. Tin and 
copper are also 
frequently found 
in meteorites in 
small quantity. 
The precious met- 
als have not been 
detected in them. 
Meteorites com- Meonc Iron. 
posed almost entirely of metallic (nickeliferous) iron, form- 
Ing a nearly homogeneous mass, have been denominated 
siderolites. These, however, almost always contain irreg- 
ular nodular masses of pyrrhotite, schreibersite (phos- 
phuret of iron and nickel), either one or both, and occa- 
sionally of graphite. In a large proportion of the meteoric 
irons, etching the polished surface with an acid develops 
the so-called "Widmannstattian figures." The develop- 
ment of these figures on the polished surface of a mass 
of iron found upon the earth's surface, and in regard to 
the time of whose fall nothing was known, was formerly 
considered to be sufficient evidence of the celestial origin 
of such a mass, especially if, in addition, the presence of 
nickel could be shown by chemical analysis. While most 
of the metallic masses thus referred have almost certainly 
been correctly classed among the meteorites, there may be 
cases in which such reference has not been justifiable, 
since it is now known that all celestial irons do not give 
the Widmannstattian figures, while the iron found in large 
quantity and over a wide area, associated with and em- 
bedded in basalt, near Ovifak in Greenland, contains nickel 
and gives, when etched, figures which have generally been 
considered as Widmannstattian, although others have de- 
nied that they could properly be so denominated. The ter- 
restrial origin of the Ovifak iron is, however, now generally 
Meteoric Stone. 
3738 
admitted, although for a considerable time after its dis- 
covery this was not the case. The wide extent of the area 
over which this iron occurs, and its peculiarly intimate 
association with the minerals of which the basalt is made 
up, forbid the idea that the metal could have fallen from 
above into lava in process of eruption, which was at first 
the favorite theory of its origin. Next in order to the 
siderolites come the pallasites, so named from the fact that 
a large meteorite of this class was in 1772 discovered in 
Siberia by the distinguished traveler Pallas. Under the 
nsaaeotpallasite are comprehended those meteorites which 
consist of a spongy or vesicular mass of iron, the cavities 
of which are in most cases partly or entirely filled with 
olivin, with which various other minerals are frequently 
associated, enstatite and bronzite being the most com- 
mon, while chromite is of not infrequent occurrence. 
Both siderolites and pallasites belong to the class of 
metallic meteorites. By far the larger part of the stony 
meteorites are included under the designation of chon- 
drites. In these the iron is distributed in fine particles 
through a more or less intimate mixture of silicates, with 
which chromite and magnetic pyrites are frequently as- 
sociated, the silicates being chiefly olivin and bronzite. 
The name chondrite has reference to the fact that In this 
class of meteorites the material of which they are com- 
posed occurs in the form of rounded grains (chondri). The 
chondritic meteorites have, however, a quite varied struc- 
ture, in some few cases passing into a breccia ; they have 
been divided into numerous subgroups in accordance with 
these structural variations. Most of the stony meteorites 
contain iron disseminated 
through their mass in grains 
or nodules ; but there are 
a few which are destitute 
of such metallic particles. 
There are also a few stony 
meteorites which do not 
exhibit any traces of a chon- 
dritic structure : the miner- 
als of which these are made 
up do not, however, differ 
very essentially from those 
occurring in the chondrites. 
There are also a few very 
anomalous meteorites which contain carbonaceous mat- 
ter associated with the stony chondritic material. This 
carbon is not graphitic, but is combined with hydrogen 
and oxygen, the product resembling to a certain extent 
that resulting from the decay of organic matter, but no 
traces of vegetable tissue have been discovered in these 
carbonaceous meteorites, which are only five or six in 
number. One or two interesting facts remain to be men- 
tioned. The first is that since the phenomena of meteor- 
ites began to be observed and studied there have been 
extremely few falls of metallic meteorites. Of all the me- 
teoric irons in the various collections, those of Hraschina 
in Austria (1751), of Dickson county, Tennessee (1855), of 
Braunau in Bohemia (1847), and a few others (in all prob- 
ably about nine), are the only ones positively known to 
have fallen ; all the others are considered meteoric on 
account of their peculiar appearance and chemical com- 
position. The observed falls of stony meteorites, on the 
other hand, are numerous. Another remarkable fact is 
that all the meteorites which are known to have fallen 
are of infinitesimally small size as compared with the 
earth. In the fall of L'Aigle some 2,000 to 3,000 stones 
were estimated to have reached the earth, and of these 
the largest weighed only seven or eight pounds. The lar- 
gest meteorites of which the fall was observed are that of 
Ensisheim (1492), which weighed about 280 pounds, that 
of Juvinas (1821), 242 pounds, and that of Emmett county, 
Iowa (1879), when a considerable number of stones fell, the 
largest of them weighing 437 pounds. Some masses of iron 
believed to be meteorites, the dateof whose fall is unknown, 
are much larger than this, but still utterly insignificant 
in size, not only as compared with the earth or its satellite, 
but even with the smallest celestial body of which any- 
thing is definitely known, namely the outer satellite of 
Mars, which has been estimated at from five to twenty 
miles in diameter. The mass of iron on the river Ben- 
dego in Brazil has been variously estimated at from seven 
to ten tons in weight ; that of Tucuman (Carnpo del Cielo) 
is said to weigh fifteen tons. The Santa Caterina iron ap- 
pears to be still larger, having been estimated at twenty- 
five tons ; but doubts have been expressed as to whether 
this is really of celestial origin. Neumann's lines, 
structural lines described by J. G. Neumann as occurring 
in the Braunau meteorite. 
meteorite 
meteorite or to 
meteoritic (me"te-o-rit'ik), a. [< n 
+ -ic.~\ Of or pertaining to a meteori 
meteorites. 
The bright lines from the interspaces, now at their mini- 
mum and containing vapours at a very high temperature, 
. . . balance the absorption of the meteoritic nuclei 
Hatvre, XXXVIII. 7. 
meteorizet (me'te-o-riz), v. [< meteor + -ige.] 
To take the form of a meteor ; ascend in va- 
pors. 
To the end the dews may meteorize and emit their finer 
spirits. Evelyn, Pomona, i. 
meteorograph (me'te-o-ro-graf), . [=F. me- 
teorograpke = Sp. meteorografo, < Gr. pereupov, 
a meteor, + ypatyeiv, write.] An instrument 
that combines the registering apparatus of a 
barograph, thermograph, anemograph, etc., in 
such a manner as to obtain on the same sheet 
a continuous record of the variations of the 
several meteorological elements. 
meteorqgraphic (me"te-o-ro-graf'ik), a. [= 
F. meteorographiqite = ' Sp. ' meteorogrdfico ; as 
meteorograph-y + -c.] Pertaining to meteo- 
rography. 
meteorography (me"te-o-rog'ra-fi), n, [= F. 
meteoroijraphie = Pg. meteorographia, < Gr. fie- 
Tiupov, a meteor, + -ypatyia, < ypaijietv, write.] 
meteoroscope 
Meteorology; specifically, the registration of 
meteorological phenomena. 
meteoroid (me'te-o-roid), n. [< Gr. /leriupov, 
a meteor, + ddof, form.] A body traveling in 
space, and of the same nature as those which 
on entering the earth's atmosphere become visi- 
ble as meteors. 
meteoroidal (me"te-o-roi'dal), a. [< meteoroid 
+ -/.] Pertaining to nieteoroids or mete- 
ors. 
This remarkable group of planetoidal or meteoroidal bod- 
ies forms a tolerably wide zone or ring between the orbits 
of Mars and Jupiter. Smithsonian lleport, 1881, p. 29. 
meteorolite (rne'te-o-ro-llt), . [= P. meteoro- 
lithe = Pg. meteoroliihe, < Gr. /icriupov, a meteor, 
+ X/flof, a stone.] Same as meteorite. 
meteorologic (me'te-o-ro-loj'ik), a, [= F. me- 
teorologique = Sp. meteoroldgico = Pg. It. me- 
teorologico, < NL. meteorologicits, < Gr. 
/-oymog, pertaining to meteorology, < 
foyia, meteorology: see meteorology."] Same 
as meteorological. 
Every extensive region [has] its own meteorologic condi- 
tions. H. Spencer, Universal Progress, p. 7. 
meteorological (me"te-o-ro-loj'i-kal), a. [< me- 
teorologic -r -a/.] Of or pertaining to weather ; 
atmospheric; specifically, of or pertaining to 
the science of meteorology Meteorological 
curve, a line or diagram which presents graphically the 
successive actual or mean values of any meteorological 
element. Meteorological elements, the fundamental 
data of meteorological observations : namely, the tem- 
perature, pressure, humidity, and electrical potential of 
the air ; the rate of evaporation ; the amount and kind of 
precipitation ; the direction and velocity of the wind ; the 
kind, direction of motion, and velocity of clouds ; the du- 
ration of sunshine ; and the intensity of solar and terres- 
trial radiation. Meteorological table, (a) A statistical 
table of meteorological data : also called meteorological re- 
gister. (6) A table for correcting or reducing meteorologi- 
cal observations. 
meteorologically (me"te-o-ro-lpj'i-kal-i), adv. 
In a meteorological aspect; with reference to 
meteorological conditions; by means of mete- 
orology, or according to meteorological princi- 
ples or methods. 
meteorologist (me'te-o-rol'o-jist), n. [= F. 
meteorologiste = Sp. meteorologista ; as mete- 
orolog-y + -ist."] One who is versed in mete- 
orology ; an expert in the conduct and discus- 
sion of meteorological observations ; a student 
of the laws of atmospheric motions and phe- 
nomena. 
meteorology (me'te-o-rol'o-ji), n. [= F. me- 
teorologie = Sp. meteorologia = Pg. It. meteo- 
rologia, < NL. meteorologia, < Gr. /j.ereapo~Aoyla, 
a treatise on meteors or celestial phenomena, 
< ficTeupoUyof, speaking of meteors or celestial 
phenomena, < [uriwpov, a meteor (ra jitrtapa, 
celestial phenomena), + Uyeiv, speak: see-olo- 
gy.~\ The science which treats of the motions 
and phenomena of the earth's atmosphere ; the 
scientific study of weather and climate, their 
causes, changes, relations, and effects. Abbre- 
viated meteor. 
In sundry animals we deny not a kind of natural mete- 
orology, or innate presentation both of wind and weather. 
Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., iii. 10. 
Optical meteorology, the science of the luminous phe- 
nomena of the atmosphere. Practical or applied me- 
teorology, the study of the bearing and effect of weather 
and climate on human interests. It embraces especially: 
(1) weather forecasts ; (2) medical meteorology, or the re- 
lation of weather and climate to health and disease ; and 
(3) agricultural meteorology, or the relation of climate and 
weather to vegetable growth. The new or higher me- 
teorology, the explanation of the motions of the atmo- 
sphere, and the origin and development of storms, by 
deductive mathematical processes based on the laws of 
hydrodynamics and thermodynamics. Theoretical me- 
teorology, the study of the physics and mechanics of the 
atmosphere, and the cosmical influences affecting terrea- 
trial atmospherics. 
meteoromaney (me'te-o-ro-mau"si), n. [< Gr. 
l^ereupov, a meteor, + fiavTeta, divination.] Div- 
ination by meteoric phenomena. 
meteorometer (me"te-o-rom'e-ter), n. [< Gr. 
fisriapov, a meteor, + fierpov, a measure.] An 
apparatus for automatically transmitting from 
a local station, and showing or recording at a 
central station, the various weather items, such 
as direction of wind, rainfall, barometric pres- 
sure, temperature, etc. It is usually operated 
by electricity. 
meteoroscopet (me-tf-or'o-skop), n. [= F. me- 
teoroscope = Sp. meieoroscopo = Pg. metewo- 
scojiio = It. mcteoroscopo, < Gr. /iCTeupoandiriov, an 
instrument for taking observations of the hea- 
venly bodies, < peTeupooKoiroq, observing the 
heavenly bodies, < [i?Ttupov, a meteor, pi. ce- 
lestial phenomena, + moirtw, view.] An in- 
strument formerly in use for finding the angu- 
lar distances of heavenly bodies. Diderot. 
