starryadj.
/ˈstɑːri/, U.S. /ˈstɑri/ 1. Of the sky, night, etc.: full of stars; lit up with stars. Also figurative.In early use spec. (in starry heaven, starry sphere, etc.) designating the region in which the stars are considered to lie; cf. star n.1 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > star > [adjective] > full of
starredc1225
starry?c1400
starneda1425
stelliferant1490
stelliferal1496
starnyc1500
stellatec1500
stelliferous1583
star-spangled1600
lampful1605
starful1606
stellified1611
stelled1628
star-studded?a1656
astriferous1656
stellated1755
constellated1767
constellate1855
instarred1888
the world > matter > light > naturally occurring light > [adjective] > of or relating to starlight or bright as the stars > illuminated by stars
starry?c1400
starlighted1811
starlit1813
star-litten1829
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) ii. met. ii. l. 904 As many rycches as þer shynen bryȝht[e] sterres on heuene on þe sterry [L. stelliferis] nyȝt.
a1450 (?1420) J. Lydgate Temple of Glas (Tanner) (1891) l. 1100 (MED) Nou blisful goddes, doun fro þi sterri sete, Vs to fortune, caste ȝour stremes shene.
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell sig. Fii The starry heuyn me thought shoke wt the showte.
1556 R. Record Castle of Knowl. 7 The Firmament..hath in it an infinite numbre of starres, wherof it is called the Starrye skie.
1568 W. Barker tr. G. B. Gelli Fearfull Fansies of Florentine Couper ix. sig. P.vii Not findyng any motion among these natural things, that went alwais equally,..they wente to them of heauen, and not finding among them any so righte, as that, whych the starry Sphere maketh, called of them by thys occasion.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 208 Many times we lay in the field under the starry canopy.
1657 J. Watts Scribe, Pharisee iii. 51 Those starry times of the Apostles, and those Sunshining dayes of Christ Jesus.
a1677 J. Taylor Contempl. State Man (1684) ii. i. 181 The only thickness of the starry Sphere is said to contain as much as the whole space betwixt that and the Earth.
1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 119. ⁋2 While you are admiring the Sky in a Starry Night.
1774 J. Beattie Minstrel: 2nd Bk. xxiii. 12 For now no cloud obscures the starry void.
1817 S. T. Coleridge Biographia Literaria II. xxiv. 309 The upraised Eye views only the starry Heaven.
1842 Ld. Tennyson St. Agnes' Eve in Poems (new ed.) II. iii All heaven bursts her starry floors.
1933 W. de la Mare Fleeting & Other Poems 119 The autumnal night Hung starry and radiant..O'er moon-cold hills.
1988 J. Bradshaw Healing Shame that Binds You ii. iv. 122 We would miss ever seeing a heaven filled with twinkling lights on a starry night.
2013 Trailfinder Autumn 20/1 The Red Centre is a magical destination..crystal clear starry skies and of course the towering red rock monolith of Uluru.
2. † c. poetic. That gazes at or studies the stars. Obsolete. rare.
a. Of, relating to, or of the nature of a star or stars; consisting of stars.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > star > [adjective]
starry1543
sideral1545
astral1605
siderean1613
stellary1623
sidereal1639
astrean1650
asteristic1652
stellar1656
sidereous1657
siderous1658
stellate1694
asteriala1708
1543 Chron. J. Hardyng lxx. f. lix Vter sawe a starrye beame full bright.
1594 R. Barnfield Affectionate Shepheard ii. ix. sig. Ci By the bright glimmering of the Starrie light.
1651 W. Davenant Gondibert iii. vi. 31 Night had put all her Starry Jewels on.
1652 J. Gaule Πυς-μαντια 149 Hath not the constellatory Fatation introduced so many starry Gods into the world?
1700 Moxon's Math. made Easie (ed. 3) 156 The Sidereal or Starry year, is the space wherein the Sun comes back to any particular fixed Star.
1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) i. 36 Now radiant vesper leads the starry train.
1805 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 95 58 I saw the asteroid, which in its true starry form has left the place where I saw it Sept. 29th.
1878 S. Newcomb Pop. Astron. iv. ii. 461 The starry system.
1923 C. M. Doughty Mansoul (rev. ed.) vi. 209 Beneath domed Chamber, on whose azure walls; Pourtrayed were the night-seasons starry signs.
1980 W. Meredith Cheer in Partial Accts. (1987) 140 Cygnus and Castor & Pollux are only ways of looking at scatterings of starry matter.
2013 Sci. Amer. Oct. 29/1 Their [sc. pulsars']starry spiral accelerates, churning out a series of strong waves that propagate across space.
b. Relating to, or caused by, the influence of the stars; astrological. Cf. star n.1 3. Now archaic.
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the world > the universe > heavenly body > as influence on mankind > [adjective]
influent1430
starry1561
influential1570
sideral1611
influxious1644
ruling1659
influous1662
1561 tr. St. Augustine in G. Gilby tr. J. Calvin Admon. against Astrol. Iudiciall 79 These false and hurtfull opinions of starrie destinies.
1612 J. Maxwell Life & Death Prince Henry sig. B3 Great-hearted Henry, borne by starrie fate, This Ilands honour to perpetuate.
1799 F. Moore Vox Stellarum 2 Tell us how and when The Starry Fate Man's Hurt will less conspire.
1833 E. Bulwer-Lytton Godolphin II. ii. 27 We must do our best to contradict the starry evils by our own internal philosophy.
1869 London Jrnl. 1 Sept. 99/2 Hassan, the astrologer, has cast his horoscope, and..will see that the starry destiny is fulfilled.
1914 L. L. Cline Poems 86 Our thoughtless laugh cannot ameliorate The destined evil of our starry fate.
2010 P. R. Blum Philosoph. of Relig. Renaissance iv. 63 Will is motivated by starry influences, sensual incentives and freedom of determination.
2011 E. Isaacson Lion & Unicorn vi. 101 The rest of the village followed their starry fortunes.
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1818 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto IV liv. 30 The starry Galileo.
1897 F. Thompson New Poems 183 Starry amorist, starward gone, Thou art—what thou didst gaze upon!
3.
a. Shining like a star; bright as a star. Often of a person's eyes. Frequently poetic.In quot. ?1565 in figurative context; cf. sense 3b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > naturally occurring light > [adjective] > of or relating to starlight or bright as the stars
brightOE
starlighta1393
star-bright1483
sidereal1534
starry?1565
starlike1591
?1565 A. Hartwell tr. W. Haddon Sight of Portugall Pearle sig. A*viiiv To blase with the starry brightnes of holy scripture gods glory so darkned with mannes dreames.
1608 D. Tuvill Ess. Politicke, & Morall f. 101 Captivated by the powerfull attraction of their [sc. women's] starry looks.
1638 J. Shirley Dukes Mistris iv. i. H 1 b Bright in thy sorrowes, on whom every teare Sits like a wealthy Diamond, and inherits A Starry lustre from the eye that shed it.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 446 And th' other whose gay Traine Adorns him, colour'd with the Florid hue Of Rainbows and Starrie Eyes. View more context for this quotation
a1727 W. Pattison Cupid's Metamorph. (1728) 110 No more my Locks with starry Gems imprest.
a1781 R. Jago Poems (1784) 195 Or the brilliant's sparkling rays, Shou'd emit a starry blaze.
1866 E. Bulwer-Lytton Lost Tales of Miletus, Oread's Son xvi. 96 The fountain stirred, And from it rose a mist of starry spray.
1898 D. C. Scott Labor & Angel 34 In the gloaming of the deep Their eyes are starry pits of gold.
1914 D. J. Snider Lincoln at Richmond i. viii. 90 And the swords of officers gleaming unsheathed, Regiment after regiment Would leap upward with starry sparkle.
2005 H. Mantel Beyond Black ii. 9 The studio had..caught those big starry eyes.
b. figurative and in figurative contexts. That shines spiritually, morally, or intellectually; illustrious; excellent, admirable.
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the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective]
faireOE
bremea1000
goodlyOE
goodfulc1275
noblec1300
pricec1300
specialc1325
gentlec1330
fine?c1335
singulara1340
thrivena1350
thriven and throa1350
gaya1375
properc1380
before-passinga1382
daintiful1393
principala1398
gradelya1400
burlyc1400
daintyc1400
thrivingc1400
voundec1400
virtuousc1425
hathelc1440
curiousc1475
singlerc1500
beautiful1502
rare?a1534
gallant1539
eximious1547
jolly1548
egregious?c1550
jellyc1560
goodlike1562
brawc1565
of worth1576
brave?1577
surprising1580
finger-licking1584
admirablea1586
excellinga1586
ambrosial1598
sublimated1603
excellent1604
valiant1604
fabulous1609
pure1609
starryc1610
topgallant1613
lovely1614
soaringa1616
twanging1616
preclarent1623
primea1637
prestantious1638
splendid1644
sterling1647
licking1648
spankinga1666
rattling1690
tearing1693
famous1695
capital1713
yrare1737
pure and —1742
daisy1757
immense1762
elegant1764
super-extra1774
trimming1778
grand1781
gallows1789
budgeree1793
crack1793
dandy1794
first rate1799
smick-smack1802
severe1805
neat1806
swell1810
stamming1814
divine1818
great1818
slap-up1823
slapping1825
high-grade1826
supernacular1828
heavenly1831
jam-up1832
slick1833
rip-roaring1834
boss1836
lummy1838
flash1840
slap1840
tall1840
high-graded1841
awful1843
way up1843
exalting1844
hot1845
ripsnorting1846
clipping1848
stupendous1848
stunning1849
raving1850
shrewd1851
jammy1853
slashing1854
rip-staving1856
ripping1858
screaming1859
up to dick1863
nifty1865
premier cru1866
slap-bang1866
clinking1868
marvellous1868
rorty1868
terrific1871
spiffing1872
all wool and a yard wide1882
gorgeous1883
nailing1883
stellar1883
gaudy1884
fizzing1885
réussi1885
ding-dong1887
jim-dandy1888
extra-special1889
yum-yum1890
out of sight1891
outasight1893
smooth1893
corking1895
large1895
super1895
hot dog1896
to die for1898
yummy1899
deevy1900
peachy1900
hi1901
v.g.1901
v.h.c.1901
divvy1903
doozy1903
game ball1905
goodo1905
bosker1906
crackerjack1910
smashinga1911
jake1914
keen1914
posh1914
bobby-dazzling1915
juicy1916
pie on1916
jakeloo1919
snodger1919
whizz-bang1920
wicked1920
four-star1921
wow1921
Rolls-Royce1922
whizz-bang1922
wizard1922
barry1923
nummy1923
ripe1923
shrieking1926
crazy1927
righteous1930
marvy1932
cool1933
plenty1933
brahmaa1935
smoking1934
solid1935
mellow1936
groovy1937
tough1937
bottler1938
fantastic1938
readyc1938
ridge1938
super-duper1938
extraordinaire1940
rumpty1940
sharp1940
dodger1941
grouse1941
perfecto1941
pipperoo1945
real gone1946
bosting1947
supersonic1947
whizzo1948
neato1951
peachy-keen1951
ridgey-dite1953
ridgy-didge1953
top1953
whizzing1953
badass1955
wild1955
belting1956
magic1956
bitching1957
swinging1958
ridiculous1959
a treat1959
fab1961
bad-assed1962
uptight1962
diggish1963
cracker1964
marv1964
radical1964
bakgat1965
unreal1965
pearly1966
together1968
safe1970
bad1971
brilliant1971
fabby1971
schmick1972
butt-kicking1973
ripper1973
Tiffany1973
bodacious1976
rad1976
kif1978
awesome1979
death1979
killer1979
fly1980
shiok1980
stonking1980
brill1981
dope1981
to die1982
mint1982
epic1983
kicking1983
fabbo1984
mega1985
ill1986
posho1989
pukka1991
lovely jubbly1992
awesomesauce2001
nang2002
bess2006
amazeballs2009
boasty2009
daebak2009
beaut2013
c1610–15 Life St. Edith in C. Horstmann Lives Women Saints (1886) 103 This starrie gemme shall ere long be taken from vs into the Saints contrie.
1675 E. Polhill Precious Faith Considered v. 142 What if the crannies of the heart be all shut up, so that neither the sunny beams of Gods favour, nor yet the starry graces in the heart can appear?
1755 E. Haywood Invisible Spy II. 54 A maid Who knows not courts, yet courts does far outshine, In every starry beauty of the mind.
1840 R. Browning Sordello i. 282 Rather, test qualities to heart's content; Summon them, thrice selected, near and far; Compress the starriest into one star.
1882 A. C. Swinburne Tristram of Lyonesse 220 The starry spirit of Dobell.
1916 Lit. Digest 19 Feb. 443/1 They have taken the starry soul of you And hidden it deep.
2010 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 14 Oct. 64/1 No matter how I try to evoke the starry lad he was, it remains a plain, odd history.
4. Shaped like the conventional figure of a star with rays projecting from a centre; arranged in the form of a star; (of a plant) bearing star-shaped flowers. Cf. stellate adj. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > angularity > specific angular shape > [adjective] > star-shaped
starlike1578
star fashion1597
starry1597
star-shaped1646
asteristic1652
stellaceous1657
stellate1661
stellated1661
stellar1670
astral1672
stelliform1794
stellular1796
asteroid1854
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 1060 The Starrie Kidney Vetch, called Stella leguminosa.
1608 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 59 There smiles the ground, the starry-Flowers each one There mount the more, the more th'are trod-vpon.
1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole 131 The early blew starry Iacinth.
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I. at Snow The several Points of each Starry Icicle of Snow.
1755 J. Ellis Ess. Nat. Hist. Corallines Introd. 12 Till the Polypes had extended themselves out of their starry Cells.
1782 W. Cowper Charity in Poems 207 Guns, halberts, swords and pistols, great and small, In starry forms disposed upon the wall.
1794 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) I. 88 The striæ..diverging as from a common center, or starry.
1848 H. Tudor Domest. Mem. Christian Family Cumberland viii. 138 The inquisitive little Maria had collected half a dozen specimens of flowers,..of which the starry saxifrage was the most numerous.
a1873 D. Livingstone in W. G. Blaikie Personal Life D. Livingstone (1880) xxii. 459 Grasses with white starry seed-vessels.
1882 Daily News 30 Dec. 2/2 Beyond where the palms live, are eucharis, with their great starry flowers.
1926 S. F. Cashmore N. Coast Verses 20 And the flannel-flower with her starry crown, Our own State's marguerite.
1969 L. Litwak Waiting for News (1990) xvi. 106 Our bedroom windows was [sic] frosted with starry crystals.
1987 T. H. Clutton-Brock & M. E. Ball Rhum 132 S[axifraga]stellaris L.: starry saxifrage. Widespread.
2006 Saltscapes (Canada) May 84/3 Blue Star (Amsonia). An underused perennial with starry blue flowers; very easy to grow though slow to start in the spring.
5. Sprinkled or scattered with small, lighter-coloured spots or markings in contrast to a darker background; sprinkled or scattered with starlike forms or depictions of stars.
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the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > marks > [adjective] > marked with stars
starred1397
starry-eyed?1594
starrified1598
starry1600
stelliferous1822
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > [adjective] > covered with something scattered > with star-like objects
starry1861
1600 Maydes Metamorphosis sig. Cv My starry Peacocks, which doth beare my state.
1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie i. 56 If [this line of the Head] be starry towards the Plain of Mars.
1769 Town & Country Mag. Aug. 428/1 The fur-clad Godard Syrric displays his starry shield.
1861 All Year Round 1 June 237 Spring meadows starry with primroses.
1888 North-China Herald 29 Sept. 348/3 John Bull, the fat farmer in cords and boots, knocking down Uncle Sam, in a starry coat and vest—with a large Canadian codfish.
1997 R. Blythe Word from Wormingford 140 I fill a huge pot with cow parsley and bluebells.., and Max lies under it until his black fur is starry with pollen.
2002 A. Sinclair Secret Scroll iv. 63 The chapel was festooned with dozens of heads, chiefly of the elemental Green Men,..and on the starry ceiling, the bearded Christ with raised right hand.
6.
a. Designating a very famous or popular actor or other celebrity; of the nature or character of a star.
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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > performer > [adjective] > type of performer > star
starry1829
starring1833
co-starring1902
1829 Sheffield Independent 14 Feb. We had a permanent Company very superior to the last, and it had more frequent and valuable enrichments by its starry visitors.
1842 Fraser's Mag. July 95/1 Mr. Bernard..gave a very clever and laughable lecture on the treatment of dramatic authors by ‘starry’ actors.
1929 H. G. Wells King who was King i. 30 The film entrepreneur..has to secure the services of a starry lady.
1954 W. Lewis Self Condemned ii. xi. 173 But individuals of world renown, the starry few, are only welcome in such parts as unreal and glittering apparitions, upon a lecture platform.
1996 C. Burke Becoming Mod. xvii. 369 Mina proved too ‘starry’ to attend to the matter.
2013 S. Crompton Sadler's Wells viii. 96/2 The company would be a scratch troupe of guest artists, some of them very starry indeed.
b. Of, befitting, or characteristic of a very famous or popular actor or other celebrity; relating to, full of, or characterized by stars (star n.1 4c).
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1840 Lit. Gaz. 24 Oct. 684/1 The overpaying of the actors, and especially of those luminaries who come within the starry system.
1906 Atlantic Monthly Dec. 799/1 Shall I score above everybody else in the cast? Shall I hold or better my starry position?
1959 Manch. Guardian 30 Jan. 7/1 One of the most persistent critical complaints about Miss Dresdel has been her tendency to shine too brightly even in the starriest company.
1979 D. Wood & J. Grant Theatre for Children (1999) v. 169 There is seldom room for starry behaviour.
1981 Times 24 Jan. 7/2 Gertrude Lawrence..needed something very big, something very starry.
1990 Independent (Nexis) 18 Jan. It is no small achievement for a black woman to have secured a major production with a starry cast.
2006 Vanity Fair Jan. 90 Her funeral service..was a starry affair featuring politicians, preachers, civil-rights veterans.
Compounds
C1. Forming compound adjectives.
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a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) iv. sig. E.iii Girt with a sweard of Jasper starry bright.
1581 J. Studley tr. Seneca Hippolytus iv. in T. Newton et al. tr. Seneca 10 Trag. f. 65 Thou starry crested crowne and Titan prankt with beamy blase.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. iv. 121 His azure wings and starrie-golden taile.
1633 T. Johnson Gerard's Herball (new ed.) ii. 417 Starry headed small Water Plantaine.
1652 J. Gaule Πυς-μαντια 66 The night..not cloudy, but Starry bright.
1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator III. xvii. 300 The spotted Leopard of the Forest, or the fine Limbed Antelope, or the starry-plumed Peacock.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. at Thistle The Calcitrapa, or starry-headed Thistle.
1814 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 104 258 Starry-nebulous patches.
1876 J. S. Blackie Songs Relig. & Life 48 All men Who..mete with kingly ken The starry-peopled sky.
1921 W. de la Mare Veil & Other Poems 45 Of starry-crested trees, blue sward.
1999 BBC Gardeners' World Apr. 98/2 A succession of cool lavender flowers from July to October, places Aster x frikartii ‘Möch’ head and shoulders above the rest of these starry-flowered perennials.
C2. In names of animals (and fossils).† starry hummer n. North American Obsolete rare the calliope hummingbird, Selaphorus calliope, the male of which has a white throat marked with iridescent wine-red streaks. Formerly placed in the genus Stellula ('little star').† starry lizard n. Obsolete an Old World agamid lizard of the genera Laudakia or Stellagama, having pale spots, esp. on the neck and throat; = star lizard n. at star n.1 Compounds 6.
starry coral n. any of various stony corals (order Scleractinia) or fossils of similar corals; = star stone n. 2.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Diploblastica > phylum Coelenterata > [noun] > class Hydrozoa > order Campanulariae > member of family Sertulariidae > having star-like forms
star stone1652
starry stone1677
starry coral1681
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis iii. §i. iii. 277 The White Starry Coral... So called, because it is perforated with round and radiated Holes resembling little Stars.
1712 J. Morton Nat. Hist. Northants. 183 Some sorts of Starry Coral.
1863 M. Plues Geol. for Million x. 110 One lump speckled over with starry coral, attracted me.
1958 R. W. Miner in Illustr. Libr. Nat. Sci. I. 710/1 The brain coral is a massive dome-shaped colony, as is..the starry coral (Siderastrea).
2004 N. L. Evenhuis & L. G. Eldredge Nat. Hist. Nihoa & Necker Islands App. 199 Psammocora stellata..starry coral.
starry falcon n. now historical a falcon, perhaps a juvenile peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus) or saker falcon ( F. cherrug), having dark spots or streaks on the underside.
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1781 J. Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds I. i. 79 Starry Falcon..marked with spots resembling stars.
1855 H. E. Strickland et al. Ornithol. Synonyms I. 79 Falco sacer, Gmelin, 1789.—Mus. Brit...Starry Falcon, Lath. Syn.
2012 J. P. Hume & M. Walters Extinct Birds 372 Starry Falcon Falco stellaris.
starry flounder n. a North Pacific flounder, Platichthys stellatus (family Pleuronectidae), having star-shaped tubercles scattered over its body.
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1884 G. B. Goode in G. B. Goode et al. Fisheries U.S.: Sect. I 184 The Starry Flounder, Pleuronectes stellatus.
1997 G. S. Helfman et al. Diversity of Fishes vii. 91/2 Marine fishes certainly can eliminate excess H+, as demonstrated in starry flounder (Pleuronectidae) and seawater-adapted coho salmon.
2007 J. D. McPhail Freshwater Fishes Brit. Columbia 135 Along the B.C. coast, just less than half of the starry flounders are left-eyed.
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1884 E. Coues Key to N. Amer. Birds (ed. 2) 465 Stellula, Starry Hummers.
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the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Lacertilia (lizards) > [noun] > family Agamidae (dragon lizards) > member of genus Stellio
stellion1382
harduna1398
Stellioa1425
star lizard1601
starry lizard1606
1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 70 As starrie Lezards in the Summer time Vpon the walls of broken houses climbe.
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis i. §ii. iii. 45 Commonly called the Stellio, or the Starry-Lizard, but not properly... For the Animal is not marked with Starry, but with round Spots.
1712 H. Curzon Universal Libr. I. 444 A Starry Lizard, and Swaptail, some Scaly Lizards.
1873 J. M'Clintock & J. Strong Cycl. Biblical, Theol., & Eccl. Lit. V. 470/1 Among the various kinds with which the East abounds, the Lacerta stellio, or starry lizard, may be selected as probably affording the best type of the scriptural terms.
starry ray n. any of various skates (family Rajidae), having small dark spots or small projecting thorns with star-shaped bases scattered over the upper surface, esp. Amblyraja radiata.The terms skate and ray have often been used interchangeably; in modern usage, skates belong to the order Rajiformes and rays to the orders Myliobatiformes, Torpediniformes, and Pristiformes.
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1808 E. Donovan Nat. Hist. Brit. Fishes V. Pl. cxiv. (heading) Raja radiata. Starry Ray.
1835 L. Jenyns Man. Brit. Vertebr. Animals 517 R. radiata, Don. (Starry Ray)..skin smooth; but thickly studded with strong conical spines, intermixed with more numerous smaller ones, radiating at the base.
1996 N. Ungaro et al. in Sel. Papers 3rd Techn. Consultation Stock Assessm. Central Mediterranean 1994 U.N. F.A.O. Fisheries Rep. No. 533 Suppl. 89 Raja asterias. The starry ray, collected sporadically between 20 and 350 m.
2002 M. J. Kaiser & S. Jennings in P. J. B. Hart & J. D. Reynolds Handbk. Fish Biol. & Fisheries xvi. 343/1 Common skate (Raja batis) have the steepest slope for the decline in catch rates through time, whereas the smaller starry rays (Raja radiata) actually show an increase in population numbers.
starry skate n. [compare French raie étoilée (1611 in Cotgrave, or earlier, as †raye estelée)] any of various skates (family Rajidae) having small dark spots or small projecting thorns with star-shaped bases scattered over the upper surface, esp. Raja stellulata.
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1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Raye estelée, the starrie Skate, the rugged Ray.
1886 Forest & Stream 18 Feb. 65/3 The barn-door skate, little skate, big skate, prickly skate, and starry skate, all belong to the great order of Raiæ.
1936 P. S. Barnhart Marine Fishes S. Calif. 12 Raja stellulata. Girard. Starry Skate.
2014 G. Helfman & G. H. Burgess Sharks v. 106 The major predators of Starry Skates are two species of sharks, the Greenland Shark and Tope.
starry stone n. [after French pierre astroïte (see astroite n.)] now rare. any of various fossilized stony corals (order Scleractinia); cf. star stone n. 2.
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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > rock > concretion or petrifaction > [noun] > coral > specific
coral-stone1607
mushroom stone1668
starry stone1677
mushroom coral1681
stone-mushroom1687
organ-pipe coral1833
Neptune's cup1839
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Diploblastica > phylum Coelenterata > [noun] > class Hydrozoa > order Campanulariae > member of family Sertulariidae > having star-like forms
star stone1652
starry stone1677
starry coral1681
1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire 87 Astroites or starry-stones, such as in bulk are irregular, but adorned all over with many stars.
1695 J. Woodward Ess. Nat. Hist. Earth 177 The Astroites, or Starry-Stone, as well that sort with the Prominent, as that with the Concave Stars.
1769 Descr. Eng. & Wales VII. 181 The astroites, or starry stones, are of an irregular bulk, and adorned all over with stars.
1981 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 292 205 This starry stone, it is inferred, was a manuport carried about 120 miles (ca. 193 km) from an outcrop of Jurassic..rock at Tisbury in Wiltshire.
C3.
starry regulus n. [after post-classical Latin regulus stellatus (1661 or earlier)] now rare and historical a starlike pattern of radially arranged crystals on the surface of solid antimony, formed during slow cooling from the molten state and indicative of its purity; cf. star n.1 11c; (also) a specimen or sample of antimony that exhibits this phenomenon.
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1661 R. Boyle Two Ess. Unsuccessfulness Exper. i, in Certain Physiol. Ess. 49 Eminent Chymists..have often failed in their endeavours to make the Starry Regulus of Mars and Antimony.
1727 P. Shaw tr. Dispensatory Royal Coll. Physicians Edinb. 261 If the Regulus of Antimony with Iron, be thus several times fused with Nitre and Tartar, it will at length become the Regulus Antimonii stellatus, or starry Regulus of Antimony.
1800 R. J. Thornton Philos. Med. (ed. 4) V. i. 30 Thus then I have obtained seven ounces three drams of an exceeding pure and beautiful starry regulus, that looked just like silver.
2013 A. Authier Early Days X-ray Crystallogr. xi. 298 In order to understand the star shape of snowflakes, he [sc. Rasmus Bartholin] first refers to the dendritic growth of salts and to the crystallization of starry regulus of antimony by reduction of stibnite in a crucible.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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