astral means relating to or resembling the stars; starry. It carries an Arena rating of 1736, earned across 23 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, astral ranks #989 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,336 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #2,574 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #6,539 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
astral is pronounced /ˈæstɹəl/.
Why “astral” is a great word
Relating to or resembling the stars, or, in esoteric contexts, to a non-physical plane of existence or a subtle body. From Late Latin *astralis*, from Latin *astrum* ("star"), from Ancient Greek ἄστρον (*ástron*, "star"); first recorded in English between 1595 and 1605. Unlike "celestial," which pertains broadly to the sky or heavens, or "ethereal," which suggests a general, diffuse delicacy, "astral" carries the specific glint of distant fire and the occult suggestion of a body that might travel there. It is the cold, mineral glitter in the black velvet of space, the silver thread said to connect the sleeping traveler to their cooling flesh, and the silent, weightless journey of consciousness unmoored from its earthly harbor—the ancient suspicion that we are made of the same burning stuff we merely glimpse.
Etymology
From Late Latin astrālis, from Latin astrum (“star”), from Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron, “star”).
adj
- Relating to or resembling the stars; starry.
- Relating to an aster.e.g.“astral rays”
- Composed of ethereal material or non-physical (sometimes supersensible), and capable of sometimes separating from the physical body (as an astral body) to travel to other places or to other realms of existence (in or via the astral plane).
noun
- A supernatural being from the astral plane.e.g.“Now both of you sit there and wait for any guides to come to you, any astrals or people from that life to make themselves known to you.” — 2009, David Wells, David Wells's Psychic Secrets, page 112:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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