- any composite plant of the genus Aster, having rays varying from white or pink to blue around a yellow disk.
- a plant of some allied genus, as the China aster.
- a structure formed in a cell during mitosis, composed of astral rays radiating about the centrosome.
- sunflower (def. 2).
- a diminutive or pejorative suffix denoting something that imperfectly resembles or mimics the true thing: criticaster; poetaster, oleaster.
- a combining form with the meaning “star,” used in the formation of compound words: diaster.
- any plant of the genus Aster, having white, blue, purple, or pink daisy-like flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)
- a related Chinese plant, Callistephus chinensis, widely cultivated for its showy brightly coloured flowers
- a group of radiating microtubules that surrounds the centrosome before and during mitosis
- a person or thing that is inferior or bears only a poor resemblance to what is specified
