Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

martian

/ˈmɑɹʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.39 in modern English

Syllables
Mart-ian
IPA
/ˈmɑɹʃən/
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or relating to the planet Mars, or (science fiction) its imagined inhabitants.

adj

Pertaining to battle or war; martial, military.

Obsolete

adj

Pertaining to the Roman god Mars, the god of war.

noun

An inhabitant of the planet Mars.

noun

An inhabitant of the planet Mars.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Latin Mārtius (“of or relating to the planet Mars”) + -an (adjective-forming suffix). The word is cognate with Middle English marcien, marcyan, mercien (“subject to the influence or power of the planet Mars; relating to the god Mars, that is, warlike”), Middle French martien (“Martian”) (modern French martien), French Martien (“imaginary inhabitant of Mars; any extraterrestrial”), Italian marziano, Latin Mārtiānus (“Martian”), Portuguese marciano, Spanish marciano.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɑɹʃən/
  • British English: /ˈmɑːʃən/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Astronomy.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce martian?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɑɹʃən/.
What does martian mean?
Of or relating to the planet Mars, or (science fiction) its imagined inhabitants.
Where does martian come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce martian

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “martian”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɑɹʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “martian”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “martian” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.