Iapetus
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Iapetus
- /aɪˈæpɪtəs/
Where it comes from
From Latin Iapetus, from Ancient Greek Ἰαπετός (Iapetós), possibly from Pre-Greek.
* (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).
proper noun Japetus
- A Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia, and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius.
- A moon in Saturnian system, Solar System: The third largest moon of Saturn We were unable to see enough on Saturn's moon Iapetus to really understand why that moon has one bright hemisphere and one dark.
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A former ocean between former continent of Laurentia (North America) and former continent of Baltica (Europe): An ancient ocean which existed between 600 and 400 million years ago.
So, in the early Ordovician, Iapetus was wide enough to have one side in high latitudes and the other in the tropics: a massive ocean, indeed.
Similar: Proto-Atlantic, Proto-Atlantic Ocean
- Alternative form of Japheth
Translations
Talk about this word "Iapetus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/iapetus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Iapetus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/iapetus "Iapetus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/iapetus.Cite this
@misc{iapetus_2026,
title = {Iapetus},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/iapetus},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
