EXTRATERRESTRIAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does extraterrestrial mean? 

• EXTRATERRESTRIAL (noun)
  The noun EXTRATERRESTRIAL has 1 sense:

1. a form of life assumed to exist outside the Earth or its atmosphere

  Familiarity information: EXTRATERRESTRIAL used as a noun is very rare.

• EXTRATERRESTRIAL (adjective)
  The adjective EXTRATERRESTRIAL has 1 sense:

1. originating or located or occurring outside Earth or its atmosphere

  Familiarity information: EXTRATERRESTRIAL used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EXTRATERRESTRIAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A form of life assumed to exist outside the Earth or its atmosphere

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

alien; extraterrestrial; extraterrestrial being

Hypernyms ("extraterrestrial" is a kind of...):

hypothetical creature (a creature that has not been observed but is hypothesized to exist)

Derivation:

extraterrestrial (originating or located or occurring outside Earth or its atmosphere)

• EXTRATERRESTRIAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Originating or located or occurring outside Earth or its atmosphere

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

is there extraterrestrial life?

Pertainym:

earth (the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on)

Derivation:

extraterrestrial (a form of life assumed to exist outside the Earth or its atmosphere)

 Context examples 

Ancient Earth might have had an extraterrestrial supply of vitamin B3 delivered by carbon-rich meteorites, according to a new analysis by NASA-funded researchers.

(Vitamin B3 might have been made in space, delivered to Earth by meteorites, NASA)

The team, who all work for the Extra Terra Consortium laboratory, found 13 kilograms of meteorite-like material, with around 80 percent of the samples recovered believed to be of extraterrestrial origins.

(Huge Haul of Extraterrestrial Material Recovered from Iranian Desert, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The extraterrestrial compounds found in meteorites resemble the active site of hydrogenases, which are enzymes that provide energy to bacteria and archaea by breaking down hydrogen gas (H2).

(Cyanide Compounds Discovered in Meteorites May Hold Clues to the Origin of Life, NASA)

Area 51 has for decades been rumored to be a facility for UFO and extraterrestrials research.

(Millions don't turn up to 'storm' US airbase for extraterrestrial evidence, Wikinews)

Possible explanations for FRBs range from outbursts from rotating neutron stars with extremely strong magnetic fields, to more speculative ideas that they are directed energy sources used by extraterrestrial civilizations to power spacecraft.

(Mysterious Radio Signals Detected from Deep Space, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

But other celestial bodies within our solar system, such as Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, have water now, so they too may harbor extraterrestrial life.

(Scientists: Life Can Thrive in Most Extreme Environments, George Putic/VOA)

Amid efforts to find alien life, scientists have not yet confirmed the existence of an extraterrestrial civilization.

(Finding Alien Life Unlikely Due to Lack of Phosphorus in Universe, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The possibility of undersea hydrothermal activity inside icy moons such as Europa at Jupiter and Enceladus at Saturn feeds interest in them as destinations in the quest to find extraterrestrial life.

(Mars Study Yields Clues to Possible Cradle of Life, NASA)

During the 2013 experiment, the radar instrument detected echoes from the seafloor and inferred the depth of Ligeia Mare along Cassini's track over Ligeia Mare — the first-ever detection of the bottom of an extraterrestrial sea.

(Cassini Explores a Methane Sea on Titan, NASA)