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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

• 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

See Examples For:

triton Triton

The bird was either a yellow-crested or a triton cockatoo, she said, meaning it most likely came from northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, or islands off Indonesia.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2018

Ships teem around the Arsenale while a colossal triton rides a sea monster at the mouth of the Grand Canal – the real marries the fabulous as Venice is wedded to the sea.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 23, 2010

By relentlessly hunting for a rare trumpet-shaped mollusk called the giant triton, some scientists say, shell collectors have taken a devastating toll of one of the crown-of-thorns' few natural enemies.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dr. Johnson sat high on the stern like a magnificent triton.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 19 — Travel and Adventure by Sir John Alexander Hammerton

Two statues; one, triton struggles with snake; in the other, with fish.

From The City of Domes : a walk with an architect about the courts and palaces of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, with a discussion of its architecture, its sculpture, its mural decorations, its coloring and its lighting, preceded by a history of its growth by John D. (John Daniel) Barry

SLB is buying Kelvion from funds managed by Apollo, the majority owner, as well as funds advised by Triton.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

That original satellite system may have been destroyed after Triton, Neptune's largest moon, was captured by the planet's gravity after forming elsewhere in the solar system.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

MarineTraffic lists the beneficial owner and operator as Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd and it lists the registered owner as Marshall Islands-based Triton Navigation Corp.

From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025

Triton Baseball shuts out Westlake 8-0 behind Mike Erspamer’s masterful 7k/1hit complete game in CIF-SS Playoffs 1st Rd!

From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025

Closer, within the boundaries of the balustrade, were the rose gardens and, nearer still, the Triton fountain, and standing by the basin’s retaining wall was her sister, and right before her was Robbie Turner.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan