Jovian planet

[ joh-vee-uhn plan-it ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. any of the giant planets in our solar system: all four of these planets were once thought to be gas giants, but since Uranus and Neptune were reclassified as ice giants, some astronomers prefer the designation of Jovian planet for only Jupiter and Saturn.

Jovian planet

/ jō′vē-ən /

1. See gas giant

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jovian planet¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Beyond Mars, in the broad gap separating the terrestrial from the Jovian planets, are the asteroids, of which nearly five hundred have been discovered and designated by individual names or numbers.

From Project Gutenberg