triton

[ trahy-ton ]

/ ˈtraɪ tɒn /

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noun Physics.

a positively-charged particle consisting of a proton and two neutrons, equivalent to the nucleus of an atom of tritium.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare deuteron.

Origin of triton

1930–35; <Greek tríton, neuter of trítosthird, equivalent to trí-tri- + -ton neuter adj. suffix; cf. -on¹

Words nearby triton

tritiate, triticale, triticum, tritium, tritoma, triton, tritone, tritonia, Tritonis, triturable, triturate

Other definitions for triton (2 of 2)

Triton

[ trahyt-n ]

/ ˈtraɪt n /

noun

Classical Mythology. a son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, represented as having the head and trunk of a man and the tail of a fish, and as using a conch-shell trumpet.

Astronomy. a moon of Neptune.

(lowercase) any of various marine gastropods of the family Cymatiidae, having a large, spiral, often beautifully colored shell.

(lowercase) the shell of a triton.

OTHER WORDS FROM Triton

Tri·ton·ic

[trahy-ton-ik], /traɪˈtɒn ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use triton in a sentence

Triton orbits the planet in a clockwise direction, the opposite of every other planet and major moon, indicating that it formed separately and later got snared by Neptune.
The Planets with the Giant Diamonds Inside - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Corey S. Powell|July 7, 2021|Nautilus
Triton also left behind a set of thin, clumpy rings that bunch together in arcs, unlike any other formation in the solar system.
The Planets with the Giant Diamonds Inside - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Corey S. Powell|July 7, 2021|Nautilus
Neptune’s system of moons is overwhelmingly dominated by a single large one, Triton, surrounded by 13 much smaller bodies, mostly in irregular, looping orbits.
The Planets with the Giant Diamonds Inside - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Corey S. Powell|July 7, 2021|Nautilus
Both missions had beaten out their competitors, spacecraft proposed to explore Jupiter’s moon Io and Neptune’s moon Triton.
These scientists spent decades pushing NASA to go back to Venus. Now they’re on a hot streak.|Corinne Iozzio|June 29, 2021|Popular-Science

Triton is the largest moon of Neptune, and one of the most exotic worlds in the solar system.
The best places to find extraterrestrial life in our solar system, ranked|Neel V. Patel|June 16, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Triton prices the 1000/3 LP at a cool $3.15 million—inclusive of pilot training.
The Most Exciting New Hotels, Restaurants, and Submarines of 2014|Charlie Gilbert|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Triton will begin patrolling the seas with six ships based in Lampedusa and Porto Empedocle in Sicily on November 1.
Britain’s Let-Em-All-Die Policy|Nico Hines, Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the captain of the Triton was beforehand with a celerity which matched the up-to-date speed of his craft.
Blow The Man Down|Holman Day
He confessed to himself that he had envied the master of the rushing Triton who had swaggered past as if he owned the sea.
Blow The Man Down|Holman Day
I could go under and be happy; go to old Triton, and wait for you; teach him to speak your proper Christian name.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete|George Meredith
Triton was his father's trumpeter, and at Neptune's command he blew upon his conch-shell to calm the restless sea.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome|Emilie Kip Baker
Within this niche a marble Triton poured through his conch-shell a continuous stream.
Baron Bruno|Louisa Morgan

British Dictionary definitions for triton (1 of 4)

triton¹

/ (ˈtraɪtən) /

noun

any of various chiefly tropical marine gastropod molluscs of the genera Charonia, Cymatium, etc, having large beautifully-coloured spiral shells

Word Origin for triton

C16: via Latin from Greek tritōn

British Dictionary definitions for triton (2 of 4)

triton²

/ (ˈtraɪtɒn) /

noun

physics a nucleus of an atom of tritium, containing two neutrons and one proton

Word Origin for triton

C20: from trit (ium) + -on

British Dictionary definitions for triton (3 of 4)

Triton¹

/ (ˈtraɪtən) /

noun Greek myth

a sea god, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, depicted as having the upper parts of a man with a fish's tail and holding a trumpet made from a conch shell

one of a class of minor sea deities

British Dictionary definitions for triton (4 of 4)

Triton²

/ (ˈtraɪtən) /

noun

the largest satellite of the planet Neptune. Diameter: 2700 km

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