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• triton
  triton

  noun

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

  noun

  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.

triton

¹ American  

[trahy-ton] / ˈtraɪ tɒn /

noun

Physics.

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

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Triton ² American  

[trahyt-n] / ˈtraɪt n /

noun

1. 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.

2. Astronomy. a moon of Neptune.

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

4. (lowercase) the shell of a triton.

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Triton ¹ British  

/ ˈtraɪtən /

noun

1. 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

2. one of a class of minor sea deities

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Triton ² British  

/ ˈtraɪtən /

noun

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

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triton ³ British  

/ ˈtraɪtən /

noun

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

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triton ⁴ British  

/ ˈtraɪtɒn /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Tritonic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of triton

1930–35; < Greek tríton, neuter of trítos third, equivalent to trí- tri- + -ton neuter adj. suffix; cf. -on ¹

Example Sentences

Triton flights continue in May, with eight flights circling the island.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

Patrick Lahey, the co-founder and chief executive of leading submersible manufacturer Triton, told investigators he wasn't impressed by the Titan submersible.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2024

It is listed on the Triton website as the Abyssal Explorer, an acrylic-hulled vessel than can reach depths of 13,000 feet, “the perfect submersible for repeated trips to the deep ocean.”

From New York Times • May 28, 2024

“Because Blue Triton had a timely request for renewal of the permit, the current permit remains in effect… until the Forest renders a decision on their new request,” Bahena said in an email.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2024

The whole statue had acquired around its northerly surfaces a bluish-green patina, so that from certain approaches, and in low light, the muscle-bound Triton really seemed a hundred leagues under the sea.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan