stardust
/ˈstɑːdʌst/
Etymology
From star + dust.
stardust means small fragments of dustlike material found in space; specifically, a type of cosmic dust that formed from cooling gases ejected from presolar stars, which was then incorporated into the cloud from which the Solar System condensed. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 78 out of 100.
stardust is pronounced /ˈstɑːdʌst/.
Why “stardust” is a great word
STARDUST — [Noun] Microscopic particulate matter of stellar origin, formed in the atmospheres of ancient, dying stars, which drifts through interstellar space and becomes incorporated into new celestial bodies. From star (celestial body) + dust (fine, dry particles). Unlike a meteorite (a macroscopic, impact-surviving body) or a nebula (a vast, luminous cloud of gas and dust), stardust is the irreducible, granular unit of cosmic debris. It is the shimmering mote in a shaft of attic sunlight, the billion-year-old grain locked within a meteorite, and the faint, diamond-like glitter in the profound black between stars—the universe remembering itself in the borrowed dust from which we are assembled.
noun
- Small fragments of dustlike material found in space; specifically, a type of cosmic dust that formed from cooling gases ejected from presolar stars, which was then incorporated into the cloud from which the Solar System condensed.“We are all made of stardust.”
- A distant cluster of stars resembling a cloud of dust, especially if the individual stars of which cannot be resolved with a telescope.
- Small fragments in the Earth's atmosphere or on its surface originating from meteorites; meteor dust.
- Something imaginary or lacking substance.“His [Sickert's] paint has a tangible quality; it is made not of air and star-dust but of oil and earth.”
- An imaginary magic dust or powder that, when in one's eyes, supposedly causes one to view a person or thing favourably, even though this might not actually be warranted.“My sister’s eyes were full of stardust – she’d spend hours lazily planning her future life when she would make her big break in the movies.”
- An imaginary magic dust or powder supposedly able to give one charisma or other positive qualities; hence, charisma or glamour, especially that possessed by a celebrity.“Why would experienced deal makers want rock stars and actors to advise them? Why would entrepreneurs seek their money? There is a certain cachet with all that stardust, of course, and perhaps some free publicity.”