stardust

Everyday

1. (science) Dust made in old stars and spread in space when they die; the atoms in our bodies were made inside stars long ago. tree →
2. (literary) A magical, dreamy or romantic quality, like sparkle or charm. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on space, «we are made of stardust» is a true idea: elements such as carbon, oxygen and iron in our bodies were made inside stars. In stories and songs, stardust means magic, glitter and dreams.

Examples

• The iron in your blood was made in stars — you are stardust! tree →
• The spacecraft collected stardust from a comet's tail. tree →
• The fairy sprinkled stardust over the sleeping town. tree →
• The singer had a bit of stardust about her. tree →
• Scientists study stardust to learn how stars make new elements. tree →
• The song says the night sky was full of stardust. tree →

Note

Uncountable; one word. A NASA mission called Stardust brought comet dust back to Earth in 2006.