Janus
nəs noun
1.
an ancient Roman god of doorways, of beginnings, and of the rising and setting of the sun, usually represented as having one head with two bearded faces back to back, looking in opposite directions.
2.
Astronomy. a moon of the planet Saturn, located just outside the rings.
Origin:
< Latin, special use of jānus doorway, archway, arcade
< Latin, special use of jānus doorway, archway, arcade
Dictionary.com Unabridged
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 janus
Collins
World English Dictionary
Janus1 (ˈdʒeɪnəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| the Roman god of doorways, passages, and bridges. In art he is depicted with two heads facing opposite ways | |
| [C16: from Latin, from jānus archway] | |
00:10
Janus
is always a great word to know.
So is solstice. Does it mean:
| either of the two times a year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator that takes place about June 21 and about December 22 |
| one of several hundred known celestial objects, generally believed to be rapidly rotating neutron stars, that emit pulses of radiation such as radio waves with a high degree of regularity |
| Janus2 (ˈdʒeɪnəs) | |
| —n | |
| a small inner satellite of Saturn | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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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
Janus
ancient It. deity, guardian god of portals, patron of beginnings and endings, 1508, from L., lit. "gate, arched passageway," perhaps from PIE base *ei- "to go" (cf. Skt. yanah "path," O.C.S. jado "to travel"). He is shown as having two faces, one in front the other in back. His temple in Rome was closed
only in times of peace.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
Janus [(jay-nuhs)]The Roman god of doors and gateways and hence of beginnings.
Note: Janus was pictured with two faces looking in opposite directions, one young and one old. Consequently, a hypocritical person is often called “Janus-faced.”
Note: The month of January is named after Janus.
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.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
Janus definition
1. Distributed language with an ask/tell constraint system.
qdjanus is a Janus-to-Prolog compiler for Sicstus Prolog and jc is compiles to C.
["Janus: A Step Towards Distributed Constraint Programming", V. Saraswat
["Programming in Janus", Saraswat, Kahn, and Levy].
2. W.M. Waite, U Colorado. Intermediate language, claimed as an implementation of UNCOL. Used on CDC 6600.
["Experience with the Universal Intermediate Language Janus", B.K. Haddon et al, Soft Prac & Exp 8(5):601- 616 (Sep 1978)].
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