Saturnine describes someone who is gloomy, sullen, and slow to act or change, a trait historically associated with the planet Saturn.
Saturnine describes a person or thing that is gloomy, sullen, or slow to change, often associated with the planet Saturn and its perceived influence on personality.
| Word | saturnine |
|---|---|
| Date | June 20, 2014 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | SAT-er-nyne |
| Etymology | Eeyore is saturnine. The gloomy, cynical character of A. A. Milne's gray donkey typifies the personality type the ancient Romans ascribed to individuals born when the planet Saturn was rising in the heavens. Both the name of the planet and today's featured adjective derive from the name of the Roman god of agriculture, who was often depicted as a bent old man with a stern, sluggish, and sullen nature. The Latin name for Saturn was "Saturnus," which is assumed to have yielded the word "Saturninus" (meaning "of Saturn") in Medieval Latin; that form was adapted to create English "saturnine" in the 15th century. |
| Examples | Kevin's saturnine personality made his friends hesitant to invite him to parties, since he never seemed to have a good time at them. "Cuomo has one additional liability: his deeply creased face and saturnine look that bears a resemblance to the portraits of a Venetian Doge plotting the next battle with the Saracens." - Michael Brenner, The Huffington Post, May 19, 2014 |
| Definition | 1 : born under or influenced by the planet Saturn 2 a : cold and steady in mood : slow to act or change b : gloomy, surly c : sardonic |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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