Uranus

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin Ūranus,^[2][3] the name of the father of Saturn, recorded in the 4th century,^[3] from Ancient Greek Οὐρανός (Ouranós), the husband of Gaia and father of Cronos,^[3][2][4] from οὐρανός (ouranós, “sky, heaven”).^[3][5][4] Klein suggests that the Greek word comes from an older form with a lost initial consonant, possibly related to the Sanskrit words for "rain".^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The planet, in English: in 1783, in the New Review,^[3][6] though Etymonline dates the name to 1800 and Hoad to the 19th century.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

The planet had been observed earlier but mistaken for a star: Flamsteed catalogued it in 1690 as 34 Tauri.^[4] William Herschel identified it in 1781 and proposed Georgium Sidus, "George's Star", in honour of his patron George III, and English writers of the 1780s used the name Georgian Planet.^[4] French astronomers said Herschel instead.^[4] It was Johann Bode who proposed Uranus, to fit the other planets' names, in a German context in 1782.^[3][4] English astronomers preferred it by 1809, but it is said not to have come into common use until about 1850.^[4] The element uranium was named after the planet soon after its discovery.^[4]

Timeline

• 1782 – Bode proposes the name, in German.^[3]
• 1783 – the planet, in English.^[3][6]
• about 1850 – the name is in common use.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The seventh planet from the sun, one of the giant planets.^[3][6][7]
2. In Greek mythology, the god who personifies the sky, husband of Gaia and father of the Titans.^[7][5][4]

Word family

• Uranian

Related words

• uranic
• uranium
• urano-
• Saturn
• Neptune

Usage notes

The word is stressed either on the first syllable or on the second.^[6][7][3]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins