martian
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.an imaginary creature or person that lives on the planet Mars.
n.a hypothetical or fictional inhabitant of the planet Mars, common in science fiction literature and cinema.
Simple“In the old movie, a green Martian lands his spaceship in the middle of London.”
In context“Early twentieth-century science fiction often depicted the Martian as a technologically superior but physically frail invader from a dying world.”
SynonymsAntonymsearthlingterran - 02 B1 Intermediate
adj.related to the planet Mars, its environment, or its appearance.
adj.pertaining to the physical characteristics, atmosphere, or exploration of the planet Mars.
Simple“The rover sent back high-quality photos of the red Martian dust.”
In context“The latest mission aims to analyse the Martian soil for traces of ancient water and organic compounds.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.related to the Roman god of war, Mars.
adj.pertaining to the Roman deity Mars; occasionally used in literary contexts to describe warlike or aggressive qualities.
Simple“The poet described the soldier's Martian spirit in the heat of battle.”
In context“The statue captured the deity in a characteristically Martian pose, brandishing a spear as a symbol of military might.”
From Latin Mārtius (“of or belonging to the planet Mars”), with the adjective-forming suffix -an tacked on — a tidy piece of classical bookkeeping that has survived, with assorted local spellings, from Middle English marcien through modern French martien and on to Portuguese marciano. The Romans gave their war-god a planet; the planet later gained an adjective, and the adjective eventually acquired inhabitants.
The French were first to capitalise the form (Martien) for the imaginary resident of the red planet, a nicety English quietly borrowed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.