Aster
/ˈæs.tər/noun
A flowering plant in the daisy family with star-shaped flower heads.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek *astēr* (“star”), and that same ancient root also gave English words like *asterisk* and *astronomy*—so every time you see an aster, you’re looking at a botanical echo of the heavens.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂stḗr
“star”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀστήρ (astḗr)
“star”
Latin
Latin
aster
“star; also used in learned botanical naming”
16th-17th Century
New Latin / English
aster
“a star-shaped flowering plant”
Modern English
English
aster
“a flowering plant with daisy-like, starry blossoms”