Neptunian
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /nɛpˈtjuː.nɪ.ən/
ipa: /nɛpˈt(j)u.ni.ən/
ipa: /-ˈtʃuː-/
Forms: form: Neptunians
form: neptunian
Etymology: From Latin Neptūnius (“of or pertaining to the Roman god Neptune”), from Neptūnus (“the Roman god Neptune”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nebʰ- (“to become damp, cloudy”)) + -ius (suffix forming adjectives from nouns); analysable as Neptune + -ian. The English word is cognate with French neptunien (“pertaining to the Roman god Neptune, pertaining to the sea, pertaining to Neptunism, Neptunian; proponent of Neptunism, Neptunist”), German Neptunier (“proponent of Neptunism, Neptunist”).
Senses: examples: text: You braue Neptunians, you ſalt water crew, / Sea-plowing Marriners; I ſpeake to you: [...]
ref: 1620, John Taylor, The Praise of Hemp-seed: With the Voyage of Mr. Roger Bird and the Writer hereof, in a Boat of Brown-paper, from London to Quinborough in Kent. […], printed at London: For H. Gosson, […], →OCLC; republished in All the Workes of Iohn Taylor the Water Poet: […], London: Printed by I[ohn] B[eale, Elizabeth Allde, Bernard Alsop, and Thomas Fawcet] for Iames Boler; […], 1630, →OCLC, page 66, column 2:
synonyms: word: Neptunist
word: jack
word: jacktar
word: lobscouser
word: mariner
word: matelot
word: Neptunian
word: Neptunist
word: sailor
word: salt
word: seafarer
word: seaman
word: shipman
word: squid
word: swab
word: swabby
word: tar
word: waterman
glosses: A sailor.
examples: text: We are not ourselves, bigotted Neptunians or Vulcanians: we perceive difficulties whichever theory be adopted: and provided the earth be but stable under us, we are not anxiously jealous for the dignity of the trident-wielding power, or for the honour of the hammer-working deity.
ref: 1807 October, “View of the Mineralogy, Agriculture, Manufactures, and Fisheries, of the Island of Arran, […] by the Rev. James Headrick. pp. 395. Price 10s. 6d. Constable and Co. Edinburgh: Murray, London, 1807. [book review]”, in The Literary Panorama. Being a Review of Books, Magazine of Varieties, and Annual Register, volume III, London: Printed by Cox, Son, and Baylis, […], [f]or C[harles] Taylor, […], published March 1808, →OCLC, column 57:
text: Its [obsidian's] origin is warmly contested between the Neptunians and Plutonians, many of the latter denominating it a vitreous lava.
ref: 1813, John Mason Good, Olinthus Gregory, Newton Bosworth, “OBSIDIAN”, in Pantologia. A New Cyclopædia, Comprehending a Complete Series of Essays, Treatises, and Systems, Alphabetically Arranged; […], volumes VIII (MID–OZO), London: Printed for G. Kearsley; [et al.], →OCLC, column 1:
text: As to the two theories, neither will suffice alone. The neptunian is utterly inadequate to explain the phenomena of basalt; nor can a vulcanist account for the appearance of an hydrophane.—We need both explanations. Those geologists who have travelled in the north of Europe, are generally neptunians; those who have made their observations in the south of the same regions, are generally vulcanists.
ref: 1817 April, “Art. IV.—An Elementary Treatise on Mineralogy and Geology, being an Introduction to the Study of Those Sciences, […] By Parker Cleaveland, Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, and Lecturer in Chymistry and Mineralogy in Bowdoin College, &c. &c. Boston, 1816. Large 8vo. pp. 668.”, in The Analectic Magazine, volume IX, Philadelphia, Pa.: Published by Moses Thomas, →OCLC, pages 312–313:
topics: geography
geology
natural-sciences
synonyms: Neptunist
antonyms: Plutonian
Plutonist
plutonist
volcanist
Vulcanist
glosses: A proponent of Neptunism.