Martian

How to spell martian

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce martian

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does martian mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the planet Mars or anything associated with it.
2. nounA hypothetical or fictional inhabitant of the planet Mars.

Martian in a sentence

• adjective

  The rover sent back images of the dusty martian surface.

• noun

  The old film depicted a green martian landing on a city rooftop.

• adjective

  Scientists studied the thin martian atmosphere for traces of water.

• noun

  The comic featured a friendly martian exploring life on Earth.

Where does martian come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on Mars, the name of the red planet, which itself carries the name of the Roman god of war. The Latin Mars (genitive Martis) gave rise to the adjective Martialis, meaning 'belonging to Mars', the same root that survives in the English word 'martial'. By the late 1500s English writers used 'Martian' simply to mean 'of the planet Mars', often in an astrological sense describing supposed planetary influences. As astronomy advanced in the nineteenth century and speculation about life on the red planet grew, the word took on its modern sense of a hypothetical inhabitant of Mars, cemented in the popular imagination by science fiction such as H. G. Wells. A useful spelling clue is the 'ti' pronounced 'sh', the same pattern seen in 'martial' and 'partial', so the ending is -tian, not -tion or -shan.

How the word is built

• mart- (from Mars, the planet named for the Roman god of war)
• -ian (adjective and noun suffix meaning 'relating to' or 'one belonging to')