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saturnine - 6 dictionary results

sat⋅ur⋅nine

  [sat-er-nahyn]
Use saturnine in a Sentence
–adjective
1. sluggish in temperament; gloomy; taciturn.
2. suffering from lead poisoning, as a person.
3. due to absorption of lead, as bodily disorders.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < ML sāturnīnus (see Saturn, -ine 1 )

Related forms:
sat⋅ur⋅nine⋅ly, adverb
sat⋅ur⋅nine⋅ness, sat⋅ur⋅nin⋅i⋅ty  [sat-er-nin-i-tee] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sat·ur·nine   (sāt'ər-nīn')   
adj.  
  1. Having the temperament of one born under the supposed astrological influence of Saturn.
    1. Melancholy or sullen.
    2. Having or marked by a tendency to be bitter or sardonic: a saturnine expression on his face.
  3. Produced by absorption of lead.
sat'ur·nine'ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Saturnine

Sat"ur*nine\, a. [L. Saturnus the god Saturn, also, the planet Saturn: cf. F. saturnin of or pertaining to lead (Saturn, in old chemistry, meaning lead), saturnien saturnine, saturnian. See Saturn.]

1. Born under, or influenced by, the planet Saturn.

2. Heavy; grave; gloomy; dull; -- the opposite of mercurial; as, a saturnine person or temper. --Addison.

3. (Old Chem.) Of or pertaining to lead; characterized by, or resembling, lead, which was formerly called Saturn. [Archaic]

Saturnine colic (Med.), lead colic.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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saturnine 
"gloomy, morose, sluggish, grave," 1433, lit. "born under the influence of the planet Saturn," from M.E. Saturne (see Saturn). Medieval physiology believed these characteristics to be caused by the astrological influence of the planet Saturn, which was the most remote from the Sun (in the limited knowledge of the times) and thus coldest and slowest in its revolution.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: sat·ur·nine
Pronunciation: 'sat-&r-"nIn
Function: adjective
1 : of or relating to lead
2 : of,relating to, or produced by the absorption of lead into the system <saturnine poisoning> <saturnine gout>
Satáurn /'sat-&rn,/ Roman mythologicalcharacter. A god of agriculture in Roman mythology, Saturn taught humans how to till the fields and enjoy the fruits of civilization. His festival was called the Saturnalia and took place in lateDecember. Lasting a week, it was the merriest and most popular of the Roman festivals. The planet Saturn, named after the god, was believed by the ancients to be made of lead.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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saturnine sat·ur·nine (sāt'ər-nīn')
adj.

  1. Melancholy or sullen.
  2. Produced by absorption of lead.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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