Vulcan

[ vuhl-kuhn ]

noun

1. the ancient Roman god of fire and metalworking, identified with the Greek Hephaestus.
2. Military. a six-barrel, 20 mm U.S. Army antiaircraft gun system mounted on an armored personnel carrier and first deployed in 1968.
3. Astronomy. a hypothetical planet nearest the sun whose existence was erroneously postulated to account for perturbations in Mercury's orbit.

Vulcan

¹

/ vʌlˈkeɪnɪən; ˈvʌlkən /

noun

1. the Roman god of fire and metalworking Greek counterpartHephaestus

Vulcan

²

/ vʌlˈkeɪnɪən; ˈvʌlkən /

noun

1. a hypothetical planet once thought to lie within the orbit of Mercury

Vulcan

1. The Roman and Greek god of fire and metalworking; the blacksmith of the gods. He suffered bodily deformities and lameness. According to some stories, he was married to Venus , the goddess of love and beauty; in other stories, he was married to one of the three Graces . Vulcan was a son of Jupiter .

Derived Forms

• Vulcanian, adjective
• Vulcanian, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vulcan¹

First recorded in 1505–15, Vulcan is from the Latin word Vulcānus

Example Sentences

The engine will be going into space later this year for the first time, either on Vulcan or on New Glenn.

From MIT Technology Review

Vulcan and the vulcanoidsAstronomers once interpreted an oddity in Mercury’s orbit as a sign of a planet hiding in the sun’s rays.

From Popular-Science

The Queen currently has  three Dorgis named Cider, Candy and Vulcan.

From The Daily Beast

Kevin Fallon straps on Vulcan ears and explores the niche matchmaking trend.

From The Daily Beast

Count Trekkies among the group giving that idea the Vulcan salute.

From The Daily Beast

Vulcan (noun) Alien humanoids who live by logic and reason and suppress emotion.

From The Daily Beast

The Queen now owns just two Corgis: Willow and Holly and two Dorgis: Candy and Vulcan.

From The Daily Beast

But the goddess disliked Vulcan, just as much as science and philosophy shun war and physical weapons.

From Project Gutenberg

I never associate Vulcan and his Cyclops with the idea of a forge.

From Project Gutenberg

On it was written what Vulcan had told him about his mental attitude changing after Investiture.

From Project Gutenberg

He was sure that Vulcan had been telling the truth as far as he'd gone—but it hadn't been the whole truth.

From Project Gutenberg

Vulcan is represented as rather short and thickset, lame in one foot, with a cap on his curly head, and a hammer in his hand.

From Project Gutenberg