Nep"tune (?), n. [L. Neptunus.]
1. Rom. Myth.
The son of Saturn and Ops, the god of the waters, especially of the sea. He is represented as bearing a trident for a scepter.
2. Astron.
The remotest known planet of our system, discovered -- as a result of the computations of Leverrier, of Paris -- by Galle, of Berlin, September 23, 1846. Its mean distance from the sun is about 2,775,000,000 miles, and its period of revolution is about 164,78 years.
<-- now Pluto is the remotest "planet", but recently (1996) the question has been raised whether Pluto can be called a "planet", so this may still be correct! -->
Neptune powder, an explosive containing nitroglycerin, -- used in blasting. -- Neptune's cup Zool., a very large, cup-shaped, marine sponge (Thalassema Neptuni).
© Webster 1913.