December 25, 2012
stellar (adjective)
\STEL-er\ Hear it!
What does it mean?
1 : of or relating to the stars2 a : principal, leading b : outstanding
How do you use it?
"The holiday concert was a complete success," Mrs. Hughes told the choir and orchestra members. "You all did a stellar job."
Are you a word wiz?

Which of the following is NOT an example of something that can be accurately described as "stellar"?

You're a star if you picked answer B! The stars are in the very history of the word "stellar." The English word comes from the Latin word "stella," meaning "star." "Stella" is also the word that gave us "constellation," meaning "a group of stars that forms a particular shape in the sky and has been given a name." (The Big Dipper is one constellation.) A less common word from "stella" is "stellate," one meaning of which is "star-shaped." "Star" is also from "stella," and as a noun, it has all the noun meanings corresponding to the adjective "stellar."
Archive RSS Feed