Iapetus
Americannoun
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Classical Mythology. a Titan, son of Uranus and Gaia.
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Astronomy. a natural satellite of the planet Saturn.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Iapetus
First recorded in 1600–20; Latin Īapetus, from Greek Īapetós; further origin uncertain; probably from the same source as Hebrew Yepheth; Japheth ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The team also found that before it disappeared, Proto-Hyperion could have tilted the orbit of Saturn's distant moon Iapetus, potentially solving another longstanding mystery about the Saturn system.
From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2026
During her presentation, a fellow student interrupted her with a question about the rotation of Saturn’s moon Iapetus.
From Scientific American • Jul. 24, 2023
In some, the lost moon collided with Titan or Iapetus; in others it was ejected from the Saturn system altogether.
From Science Magazine • Sep. 14, 2022
At the sedimentary cliffs of Green Point, we saw fossils from the ancient Iapetus Ocean.
From Washington Post • Aug. 26, 2022
He wondered what had happened to Iapetus after they’d left him in Hades’s palace...if he was still content being Bob, friendly, happy, and clueless.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
