Martian

Etymology

From Latin Mārtius +‎ -ian, or Latin Martianus.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːʃən/
• (US) enPR: märʹshən, IPA^(key): /ˈmɑɹʃən/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)ʃən

Adjective

Martian (not comparable)

1. (astrology) Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Mars; aggressive, bellicose. [from 14th c.]
2. (obsolete) Pertaining to war or battle; military. [15th-17th c.]
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.5:

     The judges, which thereto selected were, / Into the Martian field adowne descended / To deeme this doutfull case, for which they all contended.

3. Of or relating to the planet Mars or its imagined inhabitants. [from 19th c.]
   • 2004, Mark Pilkington, The Guardian, 8 Jan 2004:

     She claimed her astral body was transported to the planet, so she was able to draw detailed Martian landscapes and to speak and write its language.

Noun

Martian (plural Martians)

1. (science fiction) An inhabitant of the planet Mars.
   • 2013 August 24, Bagehot, “Go away, we need you”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8850:

     A Martian who landed in Britain in the past few weeks—assuming he managed to get a visa—would take it for a place that dislikes visitors. […] And yet, if he lingered, the Martian might find himself being asked how health care was organised on his planet, or how its retailers were coping with the internet.

Proper noun

Martian

1. A hypothetical language spoken on Mars.

See also

• little green man
• Venusian
• Terran
• Jovian

Anagrams

• Martina, tamarin