from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Neptune \Nep"tune\, prop. 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.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Astron.) The remotest major planet of our solar system,
discovered -- as a result of the computations of
Leverrier, of Paris -- by Galle, of Berlin, September 23,
1846. It is classed as a gas giant, and has a radius of
22,716 km and an estimated mass of 1.027 x 10^{26} kg,
with an average density of 2.27 g/cc. Its mean distance
from the sun is about 5,000,000,000 km (3,106,856,000
miles), and its period of revolution is about 164.78
years.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
{Neptune powder}, an explosive containing nitroglycerin, --
used in blasting.
{Neptune's cup} (Zool.), a very large, cup-shaped, marine
sponge ({Thalassema Neptuni}).
[1913 Webster]