Saturn

[ sat-ern ]

noun

an ancient Roman god of agriculture, the consort of Ops, believed to have ruled the earth during an age of happiness and virtue, identified with the Greek god Cronus.
Astronomy. the planet sixth in order from the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 74,600 miles (120,000 kilometers), a mean distance from the sun of 886.7 million miles (1427 million kilometers), a period of revolution of 29.46 years, and 21 known moons. It is the second largest planet in the solar system, encompassed by a series of thin, flat rings composed of small particles of ice.

Alchemy. the metal lead.
a U.S. space-vehicle booster developing from 2 million to 9 million pounds (900,000 to 4 million kilograms) of thrust for launching satellites, probes, and spaceships.

Words Nearby Saturn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Saturn in a sentence

Mimas always presents the same face to Saturn, just as the Moon does to Earth.
Saturn’s Death Star Look-Alike | Matthew R. Francis | October 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The authors of the new study used data from the Cassini probe orbiting Saturn to measure the libration of Mimas.
Saturn’s Death Star Look-Alike | Matthew R. Francis | October 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Since one year on Saturn lasts roughly 29.5 Earth years, each season is a little more than seven Earth-years long.
A Cloud Forms Over Saturn’s Mysterious Moon | Matthew R. Francis | August 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The U.S. had stopped most research and development on this kind of engine after the Saturn V moon rocket was retired.
Why Does the USA Depend on Russian Rockets to Get Us Into Space? | P. J. O’Rourke | June 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Of course, the failure of our family outing hardly mattered, for The Rings of Saturn can be relived by reading and re-reading.
Walking In The Footsteps Of W.G. Sebald, Hiker, Novelist, Strange Genius | Edward Platt | June 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

See that silver spiral going out from Venus and around the table to the orbit of Saturn?
Fee of the Frontier | Horace Brown Fyfe
The conditions in Saturn, where the inner ring remains parted, favours the view just stated.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
In proof of this, the case of the planet Saturn has been cited to show that the work of creation is still in progress.
Gospel Philosophy | J. H. Ward
So also, in Troilus, v. 1809, by the seventh sphere he means the outermost sphere of Saturn.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey Chaucer
Wrecked freighters from Saturn or Earth floated beside rotund grain-boats from Jupiter.
The Sargasso of Space | Edmond Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for Saturn (1 of 2)

Saturn¹

/ (ˈsætɜːn) /

noun

the Roman god of agriculture and vegetation: Greek counterpart: Cronus

British Dictionary definitions for Saturn (2 of 2)

Saturn²

/ (ˈsætɜːn) /

noun

one of the giant planets, the sixth planet from the sun, around which revolve planar concentric rings (Saturn's rings) consisting of small frozen particles. The planet has 62 satellites. Mean distance from sun: 1425 million km; period of revolution around sun: 29.41 years; period of axial rotation: 10.23 hours; equatorial diameter and mass: 9.26 and 95.3 times that of the earth, respectively: See also Titan 2
a large US rocket used for launching various objects, such as a spaceprobe or an Apollo spacecraft, into space

the alchemical name for lead 2

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Saturn

Saturn

[ săt′ərn ]

The sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest, with a diameter about ten times that of Earth. Saturn is a gas giant that is almost as large as Jupiter in diameter but with only about 30 percent of Jupiter's mass. Its mainly gaseous composition together with its rapid axial rotation (it rotates once every 10.7 hours) cause a noticeable flattening at the poles and a prominent equatorial bulge. Saturn is encircled by a large, flat system of rings made up of rock fragments and tiny ice crystals, first observed by Galileo in 1610. The rings are believed to be unstable and therefore likely of recent origin; they may have been formed from bodies such as asteroids or moons that were shattered as they approached closer than the Roche limit. Saturn has numerous moons, of which the largest is Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system after Jupiter's Ganymede and larger than both Mercury and Pluto. See Table at solar system.

Cultural definitions for Saturn (1 of 2)

Saturn

The Roman name for one of the Titans, the father of Zeus. In Roman mythology, Saturn fled from Mount Olympus after Zeus defeated the Titans. He settled in Italy and established a golden age, in which all people were equal and harvests were plentiful.

Notes for Saturn

Saturday (“Saturn's day”) is named after Saturn.

Notes for Saturn

The sixth planet from the sun (the Earth is third) is named Saturn.

Saturn

In astronomy, the second-largest major planet, sixth from the sun. Saturn was named for the Roman god of agriculture. Like Jupiter, Saturn is composed largely of gases and liquids. Saturn is the most distant planet plainly visible to the naked eye. (See solar system; see under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

Notes for Saturn

Saturn, often called the most beautiful planet, is known for the rings that encircle it.

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