Neptune
UK /ˈnɛptjuːn/ · US /ˈnɛptuːn/ proper noun
- proper noun (astronomy) The eighth planet in our solar system, represented in astronomy and astrology by ♆.
- proper noun (Roman mythology) The god of the ocean and of earthquakes, equivalent to Poseidon in Greek mythology.
- proper noun A township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Mercer County, Ohio.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Jackson County, West Virginia.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in the town of Ithaca, Richland County, Wisconsin.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English Neptune, Neptunus, a borrowing from Latin Neptūnus, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *nébʰ-tu-s (“damp, cloudy”) (source of Ancient Greek νέφος (néphos), Sanskrit नभस् (nábhas), etc.), with the sense of "wet, moist."
Puhvel, however, connects it with Proto-Italic *nepōts from Proto-Indo-European *népōts by analogy to Portūnus, cognate with Vedic Apām Napāt and Avestan Apąm Napāt, Child (cf: neve, nephew) of the Water as part of an Indo-European 'Fire in the Water' myth.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The son of Saturn and Ops, the god of the waters, especially of the sea. He is represented as bearing a trident for a scepter.
- noun The remotest known planet of our system, discovered --as a result of the computations of Leverrier, of Paris --by Galle, of Berlin, September 23, 1846. Its mean distance from the sun is about 2,775,000,000 miles, and its period of revolution is about 164,78 years. Neptune powder, an explosive containing nitroglycerin, --used in blasting.
Etymology [L. Neptunus.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Neptune”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details