Uranus
ə noun
1.
Astronomy. the planet seventh in order from the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 32,600 miles (56,460 km), a mean distance from the sun of 1,784 million miles (2,871 million km), a period of revolution of 84.07 years, and 15 moons. See table under planet.
2.
Also, Ouranos. Classical Mythology. the personification of Heaven and ruler of the world, son and husband of Gaea (Earth) and father of the Titans, who was castrated and dethroned by his youngest son, Cronus, at the instigation of Gaea.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Uranus
Collins
World English Dictionary
Uranus1 (jʊˈreɪnəs, ˈjʊrənəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| Greek myth the personification of the sky, who, as a god, ruled the universe and fathered the Titans and Cyclopes on his wife and mother Gaea (earth). He was overthrown by his son Cronus | |
00:10
Uranus
is always a great word to know.
So is red giant. Does it mean:
| a theory that deduces a cataclysmic birth of the universe from the observed expansion of the universe, cosmic background radiation, abundance of the elements, and the laws of physics |
| a star in an intermediate stage of evolution, characterized by a large volume, low surface temperature, and reddish hue |
| Uranus2 (jʊˈreɪnəs, ˈjʊrənəs) | |
| —n | |
| one of the giant planets, the seventh planet from the sun, sometimes visible to the naked eye. It has about 15 satellites, a ring system, and an axis of rotation almost lying in the plane of the orbit. Mean distance from sun: 2870 million km; period of revolution around sun: 84 years; period of axial rotation: 17.23 hours; diameter and mass: 4 and 14.5 times that of earth respectively | |
| [C19: from Latin Ūranus, from Greek Ouranos heaven] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
Uranus
first planet discovered that was not known in ancient times, named for the god of Heaven, husband of Gaia, the Earth, from L. Uranus, from Gk. Ouranos lit. "heaven," in Gk. cosmology, the god who personifies the heavens, father of the titans. Cf. Urania, name of the Muse of astronomy, from Gk. Ourania,
fem. of ouranios, lit. "heavenly." Planet discovered and identified as such in 1781 by Sir William Herschel (it had been observed before, but mistaken for a star, cf. 1690 when John Flamsteed cataloged it as 34 Tauri); Herschel proposed calling it Georgium Sidus, lit. "George's Star," in honour of his patron, King George III of England.
"I cannot but wish to take this opportunity of expressing my sense of gratitude, by giving the name of Georgium Sidus ... to a star which (with respect to us) first began to shine under His auspicious reign." [Sir William Herschel, 1783]The planet was known in Eng. in 1780s as the Georgian Planet; Fr. astronomers began calling Herschel, and ult. Ger. astronomer Johann Bode proposed Uranus as in conformity with other planet names. However, the name didn't come into common usage until c.1850.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
Uranus  (y r'ə-nəs, y-rā'-) Pronunciation Key
The seventh planet from the Sun and the third largest, with a diameter about four times that of Earth. Though slightly larger than Nepture, Uranus is the least massive of the four gas giants and is the only one with no internal heat source. A cloud layer of frozen methane gives it a faint bluish-green color, and it is encircled by a thin system of 11 rings and 27 moons. Uranus's axis is tilted 98° from the vertical—the greatest such tilt in the solar system—with the result that its poles are in continuous darkness or continuous sunlight for nearly half of its 84-year orbital period. See Table at solar system. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
Uranus [(yoor-uh-nuhs, yoo-ray-nuhs)]In astronomy, the seventh major planet from the sun, named for the Greek god of the sky. Uranus was the first planet discovered in modern times (1781). (See solar system.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
Uranus definition
Hideyuki Nakashima
(ftp://etlport.etl.go.jp/pub/uranus/ftp).
Nearby Words
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