n. See Aleconner. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to place among the stars. ] A placing among the stars; a catalogue of stars. [ 1913 Webster ]

The catasterisms of Eratosthenes. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who tastes beforehand, or before another. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Poetaster. ] One who has but a smattering of Latin. Walker. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the metasternum. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Pref. meta- + sternum. ] 1. (Anat.) The most posterior element of the sternum; the ensiform process; xiphisternum. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The ventral plate of the third or last segment of the thorax of insects. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An inferior rhymer, or writer of verses; a dabbler in poetic art. [ 1913 Webster ]

The talk of forgotten poetasters. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who tastes; especially, one who first tastes food or drink to ascertain its quality. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy tutor be thy taster, ere thou eat. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That in which, or by which, anything is tasted, as, a dram cup, a cheese taster, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) One of a peculiar kind of zooids situated on the polyp-stem of certain Siphonophora. They somewhat resemble the feeding zooids, but are destitute of mouths. See Siphonophora. [ 1913 Webster ]