meteoro
/meteˈoɾo/masculine
The Spanish word for "meteor" is meteoro.
Meaning: streak of light (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the word relámpago is occasionally used metaphorically to refer to a meteor.
How does it change in a sentence?
meteoro is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/meteˈoɾo/
Did you know?
- Spanish distinguishes between meteoro (the streak of light) and meteorito (the fragment that hits the ground).
- The word meteoro is used more broadly in Spanish than in English to describe any atmospheric phenomenon, including rainbows and halos.
- The Greek root of meteoro means 'lofty' or 'high in the air', which reflects the ancient belief that these objects belonged to the upper heavens.
Examples in context
- La noche del 16 de noviembre de 1966, la lluvia de estrellas de las leónidas, que tiene lugar cada año en noviembre, cayó sobre Arizona a un ritmo de 2300 meteoros por minuto durante un periodo de 20 minutos.On the night of November 16, 1966, the Leonid meteor shower, which occurs in November of each year, rained down on Arizona at the rate of 2300 meteors per minute for a 20 minute period.This sentence illustrates the use of meteoro in the context of a meteor shower.Tatoeba #5472467 by Seael, translation #3957643 by Hybrid
- Vimos un meteoro cruzar el cielo.We saw a meteor cross the sky.
- Ese meteoro era muy brillante.That meteor was very bright.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are looking at the night sky from a balcony.
- Lucía¡Mira, Mateo! ¡Un meteoro!Look, Mateo! A meteor!
- Mateo¡Es verdad! Fue un meteoro increíble.It's true! It was an incredible meteor.
- Lucía¿Viste qué rápido pasó?Did you see how fast it passed?
- MateoSí, fue muy impresionante.Yes, it was very impressive.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meteor” translations and entries meteoro, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries meteoro, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
