Meaning of VESTA
 WordNet Dictionary |
| |
| | Definition: | |
- [n] the brightest asteroid but the fourth to be discovered
- [n] (Roman mythology) goddess of the hearth and its fire whose flame was tended by vestal virgins; counterpart of Greek Hestia
|
| |
| | Websites: | | |
| |
| | See Also: | | asteroid, minor planet, planetoid, Roman deity | |
| Webster's 1913 Dictionary |
| |
| | Definition: | | \Ves"ta\, n. [L. Vesta, akin to Gr. ? Vesta, ? the hearth
of the house, and perhaps to Skr. ush to burn (see East), or
perhaps to Skr. vas to dwell, and E. was.]
1. (Rom. Myth.) One of the great divinities of the ancient
Romans, identical with the Greek Hestia. She was a virgin,
and the goddess of the hearth; hence, also, of the fire on
it, and the family round it.
2. (Astron.) An asteroid, or minor planet, discovered by
Olbers in 1807.
3. A wax friction match. --Simmonds.
|
| |
|
|