An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A meteorite that has distinctly separated stone, metal, and glass. It is derived from a differentiated parent body and hence not primitive. The parent body accreted surrounding material until it was large enough to start melting in the middle. The denser metals sank to the center and the stones and glasses floated to the top. A differentiated meteorite made completely of metal comes from the center of a parent meteoroid which was broken apart. → undifferenciated meteorite.

See also: Differentiated, p.p. of → differentiate; → meteorite.