Janus

[ jey-nuhs ]

noun

1. an ancient Roman god of doorways, of beginnings, and of the rising and setting of the sun, usually represented as having one head with two bearded faces back to back, looking in opposite directions.
2. Astronomy. a moon of the planet Saturn, located just outside the rings.

Janus

¹

/ ˈdʒeɪnəs /

noun

1. the Roman god of doorways, passages, and bridges. In art he is depicted with two heads facing opposite ways

Janus

²

/ ˈdʒeɪnəs /

noun

1. a small inner satellite of Saturn

Janus

1. The Roman god of doors and gateways and hence of beginnings.

Notes

The month of January is named after Janus.

Janus was pictured with two faces looking in opposite directions, one young and one old. Consequently, a hypocritical person is often called “Janus-faced.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Janus¹

< Latin, special use of jānus doorway, archway, arcade

Word History and Origins

Origin of Janus¹

C16: from Latin, from jānus archway

Example Sentences

The design of the novel type of smart crystals, which the researchers named Janus crystals, is inspired by desert plants and animals, which can survive in arid conditions.

From Science Daily

Industries such as automotive, electronics and apparel retail could face significant pressures under his proposed tariffs, according to a report by asset management company Janus Henderson.

From Salon

David Carruthers, 61, and Janus Atkin, 37, both from Newport in south Wales, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

From BBC

All three films screen in recent restorations, courtesy of Janus Films.

From Seattle Times

For Junichi Inoue, head of Japanese equities at Janus Henderson, consumer businesses with the pricing power to increase revenues and profits by passing higher energy and food costs on to customers were the focus.

From Reuters