Iapetus
/aɪˈæpɪtəs/ proper noun
Also a form of Japheth
Forms Japetus
- proper noun (Greek mythology) A Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia, and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius.
- proper noun (astronomy) A moon in Saturnian system, Solar System: The third largest moon of Saturn
- proper noun (geology) A former ocean between former continent of Laurentia (North America) and former continent of Baltica (Europe): An ancient ocean which existed between 600 and 400 million years ago.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin Iapetus, from Ancient Greek Ἰαπετός (Iapetós), possibly from Pre-Greek.
* (moon): Named after the titan.
* (ocean): The Iapetus Ocean was the predecessor to the Atlantic Ocean, so this name was chosen because Iapetus is the father of Atlas (see Atlantic).
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “Iapetus”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details