Titan

[tahyt-n]

noun

1. Classical Mythology.

   1. any of the sons of Uranus and Gaia, including Coeus, Crius, Cronus, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Oceanus.

   2. Also Titaness any of the sisters of these, including Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Tethys, Themis, and Thia.

   3. any of the offspring of the children of Uranus and Gaia.

2. the Titan, Helios.

3. Astronomy.,  one of the moons of Saturn.

4. (usually lowercase),  a person or thing of enormous size, strength, power, influence, etc..

   a titan of industry.

5. Military.,  a two-stage, liquid-fueled U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile in service since the late 1950s and designed for launch from underground silos.

adjective

1. (lowercase),  titanic.

Titan

¹

/ ˈtaɪtən /

noun

1. any of a family of primordial gods, the sons and daughters of Uranus (sky) and Gaea (earth)

2. any of the offspring of the children of Uranus and Gaea

Titan

²

/ ˈtaɪtən /

noun

1. the largest satellite of the planet Saturn, having a thick atmosphere consisting mainly of nitrogen. Diameter: 5150 km

titan

³

/ ˈtaɪtən /

noun

1. a person of great strength or size

Word History and Origins

Origin of Titan¹

Late Middle English: “the sun, Helios,” from Latin Tītān, from Greek Tītā́n; Titan defs. 1 and Titan 2 were first recorded in 1400–50; Titan def. 3 was first recorded in 1865–70;

Word History and Origins

Origin of Titan¹

C17: from _Titan ¹

Example Sentences

Overall number one pick Cam Ward seems to be the forgotten man at the less-than-exciting Tennessee Titans, while second generation passer Shadeur Sanders attracts a lot of attention for obvious reasons.

From BBC

“We emphasize being good people. If you go far, you’ll be better socially and culturally,” explained George Kuntz, the Titans’ veteran coach.

From Los Angeles Times

Titans of industry use the bones of giants who came before to build their empires.

From Salon

When the Titan submersible went missing during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic in 2023, David Lochridge hoped the five people on board – including his former boss - could be rescued.

From BBC

The US Coast Guard has determined the implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible that killed all five people on board was "preventable", citing the company's "critically flawed" safety practices.

From BBC

Related Words

• behemoth