Mars

[ mahrz ]

noun
  1. the ancient Roman god of war and agriculture, identified with the Greek god Ares.

  2. Astronomy. the planet fourth in order from the sun, having a diameter of 4,222 miles (6,794 km), a mean distance from the sun of 141.6 million miles (227.9 million km), a period of revolution of 686.95 days, and two moons.

adjective
  1. (often lowercase) of or relating to any of various pigments used in painting that are artificially made from an iron oxide base: Mars color; Mars pigments.

Words Nearby Mars

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Mars in a sentence

  • But this term would have no mnemonic significance to one who knows the word Mars as meaning only one of the planets.

    Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
  • Of course, it was the same gallon or two pumped around and around, but clear, flowing water is a sight on Mars.

    Fee of the Frontier | Horace Brown Fyfe
  • Iuppiter might help at need in averting defeat and awarding victory, but it was with Mars that the general conduct of war rested.

  • As is shown by the maps of Mars, the surface is occupied by shadings which seem to indicate the existence of water and lands.

    Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
  • Two of the fathers were Mars and Anchises; and there are several other legends about the loves of Venus.

British Dictionary definitions for Mars (1 of 2)

Mars1

/ (mɑːz) /


noun
  1. the Roman god of war, the father of Romulus and Remus: Greek counterpart: Ares

British Dictionary definitions for Mars (2 of 2)

Mars2

/ (mɑːz) /


noun
  1. Also called: the Red Planet the fourth planet from the sun, having a reddish-orange surface with numerous dark patches and two white polar caps. It has a thin atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide, and low surface temperatures. Spacecraft encounters have revealed a history of volcanic activity and running surface water. The planet has two tiny satellites, Phobos and Deimos. Mean distance from sun: 228 million km; period of revolution around sun: 686.98 days; period of axial rotation: 24.6225 hours; diameter and mass: 53.2 and 10.7 per cent that of earth respectively

  2. the alchemical name for iron

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Mars

Mars

[ märz ]


  1. The fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest in the solar system, with a diameter about half that of Earth. Mars is the last of the terrestrial or inner planets and has notable similarities to Earth, including polar ice caps and a tilted axis that gives it seasons. However, it is significantly less dense than Earth and has no magnetic field, suggesting that it lacks a metallic core, and its atmosphere, made up mostly of carbon dioxide, is much thinner than Earth's. Mars has no surface water apart from a layer of permanent ice that underlies the seasonally changing caps of frozen carbon dioxide at its poles; there is, however, clear evidence of earlier water flows in the form of channels, outwashes, and canyons. Other surface features include numerous craters, especially in the southern hemisphere, along with very large volcanoes and extensive windblown dunes. Mar's reddish color is due to the abundance of hematite in its surface rocks. Its two small, irregular moons, Phobos and Deimos, may be asteroids captured earlier by gravitational attraction. See Table at solar system.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Mars (1 of 2)

Mars

The Roman name of Ares, the Greek and Roman god of war.

Notes for Mars

The fourth planet from the sun (the Earth is third) is named Mars, possibly because its red color is reminiscent of blood.

Notes for Mars

The month of March is named after Mars.
Mars

In astronomy, the fourth major planet from the sun. Mars was named after the Roman god of war because of its red color. (See solar system; See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

Notes for Mars

Smaller than the Earth, Mars has polar ice caps and a surface that includes red sands.

Notes for Mars

The Viking space mission, which placed landers on the surface of Mars, did not discover any signs of life.

Notes for Mars

Mars has been, and remains, the focus of space research by NASA. Voyages to Mars, including multiple landings, are scheduled through the first decade of the twenty-first century.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.