Gas giant
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large planet composed mostly of gaseous hydrogen and helium, along with methane and ammonia; possibly with a solid core.
"A quick glance over the boards revealed that there was a magnetic field of some strength near by, one that didn't belong to the invisible gas giant revolving half a million miles away."
- 2 any of the four outermost planets in the solar system; much larger than Earth and gaseous in nature (like Jupiter) wordnet
Example
More examples"A quick glance over the boards revealed that there was a magnetic field of some strength near by, one that didn't belong to the invisible gas giant revolving half a million miles away."
Etymology
From gas + giant, coined by American science-fiction writer James Blish and first attested in 1952 in a rewritten version of his 1941 short story Solar Plexus.