gas giant

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A large planet composed mostly of gaseous hydrogen and helium, along with methane and ammonia; possibly with a solid core.

Word forms

gas giant gas giants

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.

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