gas giant
13
4.5
- noun
- /ɡæs ˈdʒaɪənt/
- Specialized
:
gigante gaseoso
- The curious planet is a gas giant, with a diameter some six times larger than that of Earth.
- gas giants in our solar
- gas giants form
And this can then tell us how gas giants form.
- And this can then tell us how gas giants form.
- Can a brown dwarf or a gas giant ignite if it gets more mass?
- And what's funny is in most stellar systems, the gas giants are the closest to their sun, their star.
- And he was from the Netherlands wanting to know more about gas giants.
Examples
-
A solid core cannot grab its share of hydrogen and helium gas to become a gas giant until it becomes sufficiently massive.
Academic text (2005) -
To live on a moon around a gas giant, however, space is your backyard.
Blog text (7) -
Little Brother, the smaller gas giant, was on the far side of the sun, out past the wormhole to home.
Fiction book (2002) -
And what's funny is in most stellar systems, the gas giants are the closest to their sun, their star.
-
The system also has three smaller terrestrial planets and two gas giants orbiting the star.
-
Another student noted that the terrain of moons orbiting the gas giants could offer clues about the planet's formation.
Academic text (2006) -
How does the habitable zone for moons of gas giants compare to the habitable zone for planets?
Blog text (17) -
Jupiter is the largest gas giant in our solar system, made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
-
Astronomers recently discovered several new gas giants in distant star systems.
-
Both Saturn and Jupiter are classified as gas giants due to their thick atmospheres.
Synonyms
1
6.8
A very large planet like Jupiter made mostly of gas
How Big
- Specialized
13
4.5
∞
1.0
- Specialized
1
4.1
- Specialized
1
6.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ('a very large object/planet made primarily of gas') is directly and compositionally derivable from 'gas' (gaseous substance) + 'giant' (very large). This literal compound describes a large planet composed of gas and has close parallels in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely understand it.
Etymology
The noun gas giant paints a simple picture: gas shows what it is made of and giant shows it is very large. So gas giant 'means' a very large planet made mostly of gas with no solid surface, like Jupiter.