comet

The word “comet” means a small body of ice, dust, and rock that orbits the Sun and develops a glowing tail when it passes close enough for its ice to vaporize. In plain terms, an icy space object that grows a bright tail as it nears the Sun.

“Comet” is pronounced KO-miht (/ˈkɒmɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “comet” used in a sentence: “Halley's Comet is visible from Earth roughly every 76 years.”

Words with a similar meaning to “comet” include ☄ and faxed star.

“Comet” is a noun.

The word “comet” comes from Ancient Greek. From Ancient Greek kometes, "long-haired," referring to the comet's tail, which was likened to flowing hair.

“Comet” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

A comet is made mostly of ice, dust, and rock and develops a glowing tail when its ice vaporizes near the Sun, whereas an asteroid is a rockier or metallic body that does not typically form a tail. Comets also tend to follow more elongated orbits that take them far from and close to the Sun.

A comet grows a tail when it travels close enough to the Sun for the heat to vaporize its surface ice, releasing gas and dust into space. Solar radiation and the solar wind then push this material outward, forming the glowing tail that always points away from the Sun.

Yes, a comet orbits the Sun, but unlike most planets its path is usually a long, stretched-out ellipse rather than a nearly circular orbit. This is why some comets are visible from Earth only once every few decades or even centuries.