Juliet

/ˈd͡ʒuːlɪɛt/

Borrowed from Italian Giulietta, diminutive of Giulia, from Latin Iūlia, feminine of Iūlius, a Roman family name. Cognate with French Juliette.

"All I ask," she says, fitting the cigarette into a holder, "is that you don't call me Juli-et. I cannot abide Juli-et. It maddens me!" "Yes, ma'am." "Here, we say Joolyut. Joolyut. Joolyut. Say it for me."

1977, Timothy Findley, The Wars, Delacorte Press/S. Lawrence, →ISBN, page 110:

For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:

One of the main characters of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

By analogy with the Shakespearean character, a woman who is in love with a man from a family, party, or country opposing that of her own.

(astronomy) The sixth moon of the planet Uranus.


Charon

Charon
Charon (disambiguation)
Charon (moon)
Edmond Hamilton
NASA

From Ancient Greek Χάρων (Khárōn). The name of the moon was coined by American astronomer James W. Christy in 1978, in reference to a fictional moon of Pluto in a novel by Edmond Hamilton but also influenced by its similarity to Char, a pet name for Charlene, his wife's name — hence the alternative American pronunciation, which is used at NASA.

coin

(astronomy) The largest of the five moons of Pluto.


Europa

From Ancient Greek Εὐρώπη (Eurṓpē), a character name in Greek mythology.
Doublet of Europe.


Cupid

From Latin Cupīdō, personification of cupīdō (“desire, desire of love”), from cupidus (“eager, greedy, passionate”), from cupere (“to desire”).

Cupid is so small and far away that it can only be seen with the Hubble Space Telescope.


Metis

From Ancient Greek Μῆτις (Mêtis) from Ancient Greek μῆτις (mêtis, “wisdom”).


Belinda

Alexander Pope
Belinda
Belinda (moon)
The Rape of the Lock

From Belle + -inda, base from various Romance sources such as French belle, Italian bella (“beautiful”), suffix Latinate form of German linde (“soft”) (English linden, lithe). Popularised by Alexander Pope in his poem The Rape of the Lock (1714). The moon is named after a character in Pope's poem.

This moon's orbit is nearly identical to that of Belinda, about 47,000 miles (75,000 km) from Uranus.

2006, Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the Outer Solar System, page 52:

It belongs to the Portia group, made up of Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Cupid, Belinda and Perdita; these satellites have similar orbits and photometric characteristics.

2011, Patrick Moore, Robin Rees, editors, Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy, page 230:

Miranda and the more recent discoveries have also been named after Shakespearean characters, with the exception of Belinda (1986 U5), which was named after a character from Pope's “The Rape of the Lock.”

2012, Peter Bond, Exploring the Solar System, page 297:

(astronomy) The ninth satellite of Uranus.


Francisco

en-proper noun

Francisco (countable and uncountable, plural Franciscos)

From Latin Franciscus. Doublet of Francis.
* (given name): From Romance Francisco (Portuguese Francisco, Spanish Francisco)
* (moon of Uranus): From the naming pattern established for moons of Uranus, being references to the works of William Shakespeare. From being a character in the play The Tempest

(astronomy) A moon in Uranus, Solar System


Prometheus

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Prometheus.wav

From Ancient Greek Προμηθεύς (Promētheús), from πρό (pró, “before”) + μανθάνω (manthánō, “to think”).

(astronomy) A moon of the planet Saturn.


Janus

From Latin Iānus (“the Roman god Janus”).

Heavily cratered and irregularly shaped, Janus orbits Saturn just beyond the F ring and only 50km (30 miles) farther away than its co-orbital moon, Epimetheus.

2012 October, “Saturn”, in Martin Rees, editor, Universe, rev. edition, London: Dorling Kindersley, →ISBN, page 192:

Two of Saturn's small moons have the unique distinction of sharing the same orbit. Epimetheus and Janus circle the Lord of the Rings at a distance of just over 151,000 km, about half the distance from Earth to the Moon. Both are irregularly shaped. Janus is 179 km across, while Epimetheus is about 116 km in diameter.

2016, Michael [W.] Carroll, “Ice Dwarfs and Tiny Moons”, in Picture This!: Grasping the Dimensions of Time and Space, Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature, →DOI, →ISBN, page 56:


Margaret

Margaret (countable and uncountable, plural Margarets)

From the name of a legendary third century saint, from Middle English Margaret, from Old French Margaret (French Marguerite), from Latin Margarita, from Ancient Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs, “pearl”), ultimately from an Indo-Iranian source.
The same source, through folk etymology, has produced Old English meregrot (“pearl”, literally “stone or pebble of the sea”), related to Old Saxon merigrita, merigriota (“pearl”), Old High German merigrioz, equivalent to mer- + groat.

cog

Astronomers discovered nine small moons lying outside the orbit of Oberon (Francisco, Caliban, Stephano, Trinculo, Sycorax, Margaret, Prospero, Setebos, and Ferdinand) between 1997 and 2003.

2009, Richard Schmude, Jr., Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and How to Observe Them, page 58:

The odd one out is Margaret, which travels in a "normal" prograde direction, though it has the most eccentric orbit of all the Uranian satellites.

[…]moons known to be moving in a prograde or direct orbit is Margaret, orbiting Uranus at an average distance of nearly nine million miles (14,845,000 km) in an orbit that currently exceeds all other Solar System moons in terms of eccentricity (0.7979).[…]Margaret takes about 4.6 Earth years to complete a single orbit of the planet.

2013, David A. J. Seargent, Weird Worlds: Bizarre Bodies of the Solar System and Beyond, page 225:

(astronomy) A moon of Uranus, named for a character in Much Ado About Nothing.


Epimetheus

From Ancient Greek Ἐπιμηθεύς (Epimētheús, “afterthought, hindsight”).


Ganymede

From French Ganymède, from Latin Ganymēdēs, from Ancient Greek Γανυμήδης (Ganumḗdēs, “meant to please”), from γάνυμαι (gánumai, “I rejoice, I am glad”) + μήδεα (mḗdea, “thought, intention”). Doublet of catamite.


Ferdinand

From Spanish Ferdinando, from Proto-Germanic *fardiz (“journey”) + *nanþaz (“daring”) (from the root of *ninþaną (“to be daring”)).
The moon is named after a character in Shakespeare's The Tempest.


Bianca

en-proper noun

Bianca (countable and uncountable, plural Biancas)

From Italian Bianca, equivalent of English Blanche.


Kale

From Ancient Greek Καλή (Kalḗ, literally “beauty”), see καλός (kalós, “beautiful”).


Nereid

From nereid (“sea-nymph in Greek mythology, attendant of the god Neptune”).

(astronomy) One of the satellites of the planet Neptune


Hydra

[ˈhaɪ̯d͡ʒɹə]

From Latin Hydra, the mythical serpent, originally from Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra), from Proto-Indo-European *údreh₂ (“aquatic”). Doublet of otter.


Io

Another whisper, sir, near Io. We have probes en route.

2004 November 9, Bungie, Halo 2, spoken by Cortana (Jen Taylor), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox, level/area: Cairo Station:

(astronomy) A moon of Jupiter, known for its volcanic activity, peppered with about 400 active volcanoes.


Nix

Named after the mother of Charon, goddess of darkness and night.

(astronomy) One of the moons of Pluto (named 21 June 2006.)


Phoebe

Borrowed from Latin Phoebē, from Ancient Greek Φοίβη (Phoíbē), feminine form of Φοῖβος (Phoîbos, “bright”).


Rhea

(astronomy) Saturn V, one of the moons of Saturn.


Iapetus

From Ancient Greek Ἰαπετός (Iapetós).
* (moon): Named after the titan.
* (ocean): The Iapetus Ocean was the predecessor to the Atlantic Ocean, so this name was chosen because Iapetus is the father of Atlas (see Atlantic).

Alternative form: Japetus

Saturnian system
Saturnian system#English

(astronomy) A moon in Saturnian system, Solar System: The third largest moon of Saturn


Titan

(astronomy) A moon in Saturn, Solar System. The largest moon of the planet Saturn.


Styx

(astronomy) The 5th moon of Pluto, discovered in 2012.


Triton

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Triton.wav

(astronomy) The seventh moon of Neptune.


Titania

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Titania.wav

A style of Diana in Ovid, fem. of titanius, from Titan. As faeries were identified with Classical nymphs, the queen of the faeries was equated with Diana.

(astronomy): The largest satellite of the planet Uranus.


Ariel

General American, Mary–marry–merry merger

Alexander Pope
Ariel
John Herschel
The Rape of the Lock
The Tempest
William Lassell
William Shakespeare

From Biblical Hebrew אֲרִיאֵל (ari'él, a compound of אֲרִי (arí, “lion”) + אֵל (él, “God”), literally “lion of God”).
* (moon of Uranus): All of Uranus’s moons are named after characters created by William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope. The names of all four satellites of Uranus then known were suggested by John Herschel in 1852 at the request of William Lassell, though it is uncertain if Herschel devised the names, or if Lassell did so and then sought Herschel’s permission. Ariel is the name of the leading sylph in Pope’s The Rape of the Lock and also the spirit who serves Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

bor

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 29:1:

(biblical) A name for the city of Jerusalem, the claimed (and de-facto) capital city of modern Israel, and the claimed capital city of modern Palestine.

Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezra 8:16:

All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I come / To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly, / To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride / On the curl'd clouds; to thy strong bidding task / Ariel and all his quality.

Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy / The Atheist crew, but with redoubl’d blow / Ariel and Arioc, and the violence / Of Ramiel scorcht and blasted overthrew.

1667, John Milton, “Book CLX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

Of these am I, who thy Protection claim, / A watchful Sprite, and Ariel is my Name.

1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, canto:

You don't look like a Daniel (your pre-chosen name). There's something fierce and tawny about you. You're the Lion! You're Ariel: God's Lion. You'll be my father Leon's namesake — and for your father, you'll have a Hebrew name.
I dub thee Ariel, faery spirit of my tempest. You'll be my Jerusalem...

1979, Phyllis Chesler, With Child, Crowell, →ISBN, page 121:

A male given name from Hebrew, also ascribed to spirits and angels in English literature.

"I'm going to name her Ariel," Laura said, ignoring them completely as she stared down at the baby. "The boys like the name because it's the same as the girl in the Little Mermaid movie. And I like it, because it's pretty."

1992, Kristina Logan, The Right Man for Loving, Thorndike Press, →ISBN, page 190:

All the miniature Cinderellas, Belles, and Ariels who fill the streets every Halloween are essentially paying homage to characters that will slowly and inevitably chip away at their sense of worth in years to come.

2018, Jen Kim, Love and…: Bad Boys, “The One” & Other Fun Ways to Sabotage Your Relationship, Skyhorse Publishing, →ISBN:

A female given name from Hebrew, used mainly since the 1980s.

(astronomy) The brightest moon of the planet Uranus.


Fenrir

Fenrir
Fenrir (moon)
Poetic Edda
Prose Edda

Borrowed from Old Norse Fenrir (“fen-dweller”), Fenrisúlfr (“Fenris wolf”).


Enceladus

From Latin Enceladus, from Ancient Greek Ἐγκέλαδος (Enkélados).


Themisto

(astronomy) A natural satellite of Jupiter


Umbriel

All of Uranus’s moons are named after characters created by William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope. The names of all four satellites of Uranus then known were suggested by John Herschel in 1852 at the request of William Lassell, though it is uncertain if Herschel devised the names, or if Lassell did so and then sought Herschel’s permission. Umbriel is the “dusky melancholy sprite” in Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, and the name suggests the Latin umbra (“shadow”); the ending matches Ariel, name of another character.

Alexander Pope
John Herschel
The Rape of the Lock
Umbriel (moon)
Voyager 2
William Lassell
William Shakespeare


Miranda

Invented by William Shakespeare for a character in The Tempest; feminine of Latin mirandus (“admirable”).

When Red Dwarf had stopped for supplies at Miranda, he'd spent the last afternoon of his three-day ship leave and all his wages buying the smallest, healthiest animal with the best pedigree he could find.

1989, Grant Naylor, Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers:


Phobos

From Ancient Greek Φόβος (Phóbos, “Fear”).

(Greek mythology) A son of Ares (Mars). Also the Greek god of fear.

(astronomy) The innermost natural satellite of Mars.


Deimos

From Ancient Greek Δεῖμος (Deîmos), from δειμός (deimós, “terror”).

(Greek mythology) A son of Ares (Latin: Mars), god of terror.

(astronomy) The outermost natural satellite of Mars.


Sycorax

Named after Caliban's mother in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

A natural satellite of the planet Uranus

Sycorax (moon)
The Tempest
William Shakespeare


Proteus

Derived from Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús).

der+

(astronomy) The sixth satellite of the planet Neptune.


Ophelia

/əʊˈfiː.lɪə/

Hamlet
Jacopo Sannazaro
William Shakespeare

Borrowed from Italian Ofelia, coined by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro in his poem Arcadia (1504), probably from the Ancient Greek ὠφέλειᾰ (ōphéleia, “help, aid, succour”). The name was used by William Shakespeare for the ill-fated love interest of Hamlet.

uder

(astronomy) A moon of Uranus, named after the character in Hamlet.


Oberon

Earlier Auberon, from Old French Alberon, partial loan translation from Middle High German Alberich, literally ‘elf king, fairy king’, from alp + -rich << Proto-Germanic *rīks.

(astronomy, moons) The outermost major moon of Uranus.


Pasiphae

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Πασιφάη (Pasipháē).

(astronomy) One of the moons of Jupiter.


Portia

Cato the Elder
Portia (moon)
The Merchant of Venice

From Latin Porcia, a feminine form of the gens name Porcius (the gens of the Cato the Elder and his famous descendants), from porcus (“pig”). The moon is named for the character in The Merchant of Venice.

(astronomy) The seventh satellite of the planet Uranus.


Rosalind

From Proto-Germanic *hrussą (“horse”) and *linþaz (“soft; weak, tender”), associated by medieval folk etymology with Latin rosa linda "lovely rose".


Dione

en-proper noun

Dione (countable and uncountable, plural Diones)

From Latin Diōnē (“of Jupiter”), from Ancient Greek Διώνη (Diṓnē, “of Zeus”).

(astronomy) A moon in Jupiter system, Solar System; The fourth largest moon of Saturn.


Helene

Helene (countable and uncountable, plural Helenes)

From French Hélène and from German Helene. Doublet of Helen, Helena, and Elaine.

(astronomy) A moon of the planet Saturn.


Pandora

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Πανδώρᾱ (Pandṓrā, “all gifts”).


Methone

From Latin Methōnē, from Ancient Greek Μεθώνη (Methṓnē). Doublet of Methoni and Modon.

(astronomy) A small satellite of Saturn.


Kore

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κόρη (kórē, “girl, maiden”).


Mimas

From Ancient Greek Μίμᾱς (Mímās), earlier Μίμανς (Mímans).

Evidence suggests, for example, that Saturn's moon Mimas may have an ocean.

2021, Kevin Hand, Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 43:

(astronomy) The innermost of Saturn's classical satellites, marked by a giant impact crater (Herschel) on its surface.


Hiʻiaka

(astronomy) The larger, outer moon of the dwarf planet Haumea.


Kerberos

(astronomy) The 4th moon of Pluto, discovered in 2011.


Namaka

From Hawaiian Nāmaka, a goddess of Hawaiian mythology.


Arche

From Ancient Greek ἀρχή (arkhḗ, literally “beginning, origin”).


Cordelia

/kɔːˈdiːlɪə/

Shakespeare's spelling of a historical British name appearing as Cordeilla, etc., possibly derived from the Latin saint's name Cordula.


Puck

From puck (“mischievous spirit”), from Middle English pouke, from Old English pūca (“goblin, demon”), from Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pāug(')- (“brilliance, spectre”). Cognate with Icelandic púki, dialectal Swedish puke (“devil”), Middle Low German spūk (“apparition, ghost”), German Spuk (“a haunting”). More at spook.

cog

(astronomy) One of the satellites of the planet Uranus.


Amalthea

From Ancient Greek Ἀμάλθεια (Amáltheia).

(astronomy) The third most distant moon of Jupiter.


Hegemone

From Ancient Greek Ἡγεμόνη (Hēgemónē, literally “Mastery”).


Ananke

From Ancient Greek Ἀνάγκη (Anánkē, “Fate”).


Desdemona

Coined based on Ancient Greek δυσ- (dus-) + δαίμων (daímōn), hence "ill-fated, unfortunate".

(astronomy) An inner moon of the planet Uranus.


Bebhionn

From Irish Bébinn, seemingly from bean (“woman”) + binn (“melodious”). More at Bébinn.


Aitne

From Ancient Greek Αἴτνη (Aítnē). Doublet of Etna.


Taygete

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ταϋγέτη (Taügétē).


Adrastea

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἀδράστεια (Adrásteia, literally “inescapable”).

bor

(astronomy) Smallest of the four inner moons of Jupiter.


Jarnsaxa

Named after the jotun Járnsaxa in Norse mythology.


Paaliaq

Named in August 2003 after a fictional shaman in the book The Curse of the Shaman, written by Michael Kusugak.


Eukelade

(astronomy) One of the moons of Jupiter, also known as Jupiter XLVII.


Skoll

Named after the Norse god Sköll, from Old Norse Skǫll.


Thrymr

Named after Þrymr, a character in Norse mythology.


Fornjot

Named after Fornjót, an ancient giant and king in Norse mythology.


Tarvos

Named after a Gaulish diety, ultimately from Proto-Celtic *tarwos. Doublet of steer, tur, and Taurus.


Aoede

From Ancient Greek ἀοιδή (aoidḗ). Doublet of ode.


Bergelmir

From the Old Norse name; the second element means "yeller," from the verb *gallmr, from Proto-Germanic *galmaz (“echo”). The first element has been variously interpreted as berg (“mountain”), berr (“bare”), and a variant of bjǫrn (“bear”).


Trinculo

Named after a character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.


Euanthe

From Ancient Greek Εὐάνθη (Euánthē, from εὐ- (eu-, “good-, well-”) + άνθη (ánthē, “blossoms”)). Cognate with Evanthia.


Surtur

From Old Norse Surtr (“the swarthy one”).


Perdita

Named after the daughter of Leontes and Hermione in William Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale; from Italian perdita (“loss”).


Caliban

After Caliban, a character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest.


Setebos

The deity was named by William Shakespeare after a Patagonian deity mentioned in accounts of Magellan's voyages.
The moon was named after the fictional deity.


Daphnis

From Latin Daphnis, from Ancient Greek Δάφνις (Dáphnis).


Cressida

en-proper noun

Cressida (countable and uncountable, plural Cressidas)

Used by Geoffrey Chaucer, also by Shakespeare in Troilus and Cressida (1602), from Italian Criseida (which Boccaccio mistakenly substituted for Briseida (“Briseis”)), from Ancient Greek Χρυσηΐς (Khrusēḯs), from Ancient Greek χρυσός (khrusós, “gold”).

(astronomy) A moon of Uranus, Solar System


Sinope

From Latin Sinope, from Ancient Greek Σινώπη (Sinṓpē), from Hittite 𒅆𒉡𒉿 (Šinuwa).


Sao

From Ancient Greek Σαώ (Saṓ, literally “the rescuer”), from the verb σῴζω (sṓizō, “to save”).

bor

(astronomy) A moon of Neptune, named after the nymph.


Hati

(astronomy) A natural satellite in the Norse group of Saturn’s moons, discovered in December 2004.


Albiorix

From Latin Albiorix, from Gaulish *Albiorīx, from *albios (“world”), from Proto-Celtic *albiyos, *albiyū, + *rīx (“king”).


Galatea

74 Galatea
Acis and Galatea (mythology)
Galatea
Galatea, New Zealand
Leucippus (daughter of Galatea)

/ˌɡæləˈtiːə/


Valetudo

(astronomy) One of the moons of the planet Jupiter.


Hippocamp

From hippocamp (from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos)), a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a horse and the tail of a fish. Officially named in February 2019.
The moon was discovered in 2013 by viewing archival images produced by the Hubble Space Telescope dating back to 2004.

S

See Provisional designation in astronomy on Wikipedia.


Chrysalis

(astronomy) A former moon in Saturn, Solar System. A hypothetical former moon of Saturn, whose gravitational influence is proposed as the source of Saturn's inclination and near-resonance with Uranus, and whose destruction by gravitational disruption is proposed as the source of Saturn's rings.

en:Chrysalis (moon)
en:chrysalis (disambiguation)