tellurian
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tellurian¹
- /tɛˈljʊə.ɹɪ.ən/ UK
- /tɪ-/ UK
- /-ˈljɔː-/ UK
- /tɛˈl(j)ʊ.ɹi.ən/ US
- /tə-/ US
- [tʰəˈlɝː.iː.ɨ̃n] US
Sounds like tellurion
Where it comes from
From Latin tellūs (“earth, ground; the globe, planet Earth; country, land”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“ground, bottom”), + -ian (suffix meaning "from, related to, or like" when forming an adjective, or "one from, belonging to, relating to, or like" when forming a noun).
adjective
-
Of or relating to the earth; (specifically, chiefly science fiction) inhabiting planet Earth as opposed to other planets.
It certainly appears difficult to reconcile with known facts the opinion maintained by [Carl] Linnæus and by [Thomas] Pennant, which is, indeed, a very prevalent one, that all the tribes of tellurian animals now existing have descended from a stock that was preserved in the ark of Noah.
Similar: earthly, telluric, terrene, terrestrial
- Of a planet, being composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals; see also terrestrial planet.
- Of a mineral: containing tellurium. The tellurian mineral from Goldfield, Nevada, described originally as goldfieldite by Ransome (1909), was proven to be tellurian tennantite by X-ray powder diffraction (Thompson 1946).
noun tellurians
- Alternative spelling of tellurion (“instrument used to show how the rotation of the Earth on its axis and its orbit around the Sun cause day and night and the seasons”). The Second Part of this Orrery I call a Tellurian, [...] becauſe it ſhews moſt accurately and evidently all the Phœnomena ariſing from the Annual and Diurnal Motions of the Earth, in a Terreſtrial Globe full Three Inches in a Diameter; upon which all the Parts of the terraqueous Surface are diſtinct
- Alternative letter-case form of Tellurian (“an inhabitant of the planet Earth”). Friends are not alone in this magnanimity, that likes truth only when it suits them. But among all tellurians or lunarians of my acquaintance, they are distinguished for liking those like them, and liking no others.
Tellurian²
- /tɛˈljʊə.ɹɪ.ən/ UK
- /tɪ-/ UK
- /-ˈljɔː-/ UK
- /tɛˈl(j)ʊ.ɹi.ən/ US
- /tə-/ US
Sounds like tellurian, tellurion
Where it comes from
From Latin tellūs (“earth, ground; the globe, planet Earth; country, land”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“ground, bottom”) + -ian (suffix meaning ‘from, related to, or like’ (when forming an adjective), or ‘one from, belonging to, relating to, or like’ (when forming a noun)).
noun Tellurians · tellurian
-
An inhabitant of the Earth.
If any distant world (which may be the case) are so far ahead of us Tellurians in optical resources as to see distinctly through their telescopes all that we do on earth, what is the grandest sight to which we ever treat them?
Similar: Earthling, Gaian, Terran, Earthan, Earther, Earthian, Earthican, Earthie, Earthlet, Earthperson, Earthsider, Tellurian · Opposite: alien, extraterrestrial, ET, little green man, LGM, xenomorph
Translations
Every language
adj of or relating to the earth; inhabiting planet Earth
| Deutsch | tellurisch |
|---|---|
| Русский | теллури́ческий telluríčeskij, земно́й zemnój |
adj of a mineral: containing tellurium
| Русский | теллури́ческий telluríčeskij |
|---|
Talk about this word "tellurian." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tellurian. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tellurian. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tellurian "tellurian." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tellurian.Cite this
@misc{tellurian_2026,
title = {tellurian},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tellurian},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
