Jovian

¹ American  

[joh-vee-uhn] / ˈdʒoʊ vi ən /

noun

1. Flavius Claudius Jovianus, a.d. 331?–364, Roman emperor 363–364.

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Jovian ² American  

[joh-vee-uhn] / ˈdʒoʊ vi ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Roman god Jupiter.

2. of or relating to the planet Jupiter.

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Jovian ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒəʊvɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the god Jove (Jupiter)

2. of, occurring on, or relating to the planet Jupiter

3. of or relating to the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

   the Jovian planets

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Jovian ² British  

/ ˈdʒəʊvɪən /

noun

1. full name Flavius Claudius Jovianus. ?331–364 _ad , Roman emperor (363–64): he made peace with Persia, relinquishing Roman provinces beyond the Tigris, and restored privileges to the Christians

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Other Word Forms

• Jovianly adverb

Etymology

Origin of Jovian

1520–30; < Latin Jov- ( Jove ) + -ian

Example Sentences

Europa Clipper launched in 2024 and is expected to reach the Jovian system in 2030.

From Science Daily • Dec. 20, 2025

Each pairing will be unique in its own right, with the moon presenting itself in various phases and orientations next to the Jovian giant.

From National Geographic • Dec. 6, 2023

Viewers in the western U.S. and Canada also saw Europa, another Jovian moon, at the end of the line emanating from Jupiter at 6 p.m.

From Washington Times • Mar. 2, 2023

On its arrival in July 2031, the solar-powered spacecraft will focus its 10 science instruments on three of the four largest Jovian moons—Europa, Ganymede and Callisto—all thought to harbor subsurface oceans.

From Scientific American • Feb. 16, 2023

Perhaps it is due to complex brightly colored organic molecules produced when ultraviolet light from the Sun breaks down the methane, ammonia, and water in the Jovian atmosphere and the molecular fragments recombine.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan