Mars
[ mahrz ]
/ mɑrz /
noun
the ancient Roman god of war and agriculture, identified with the Greek god Ares.
Astronomy.
the planet fourth in order from the sun, having a diameter of 4222 miles (6794 km), a mean distance from the sun of 141.6 million miles (227.9 million km), a period of revolution of 686.95 days, and two moons.
adjective
(often lowercase)
of or relating to any of various pigments used in painting that are artificially made from an iron oxide base: Mars color; Mars pigments.
Words nearby Mars
Definition for mars (2 of 3)
mar
[ mahr ]
/ mɑr /
verb (used with object), marred, mar·ring.
to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil: That billboard mars the view. The holiday was marred by bad weather.
to disfigure, deface, or scar: The scratch marred the table.
Origin of mar
before 900; Middle English
merren, Old English
merran to hinder, waste; cognate with Old Saxon
merrian, Old High German
merren to hinder, Old Norse
merja to bruise, Gothic
marzjan to offend
SYNONYMS FOR mar
1, 2
flaw,
injure;
blot.
Mar,
deface,
disfigure,
deform agree in applying to some form of injury.
Mar is general, but usually refers to an external or surface injury, if it is a physical one:
The tabletop was marred by dents and scratches.
Deface refers to a surface injury that may be temporary or easily repaired:
a tablecloth defaced by penciled notations.
Disfigure applies to external injury of a more permanent and serious kind:
A birthmark disfigured one side of his face.
Deform suggests that something has been distorted or internally injured so severely as to change its normal form or qualities, or else that some fault has interfered with its proper development:
deformed by an accident that had crippled him; to deform feet by binding them.
OTHER WORDS FROM mar
un·marred, adjective un·mar·ring, adjectiveDefinition for mars (3 of 3)
marse
[ mahrs ]
/ mɑrs /
noun Southern U.S.
(used chiefly in representation of southern black speech) master.
Also
mars,
massa.
Origin of marse
First recorded in 1870–75
Example sentences from the Web for mars
British Dictionary definitions for mars (1 of 4)
Mars
1
/ (mɑːz) /
noun
the Roman god of war, the father of Romulus and Remus
Greek counterpart: Ares
British Dictionary definitions for mars (2 of 4)
Mars
2
/ (mɑːz) /
noun
Also called: the Red Planet
the fourth planet from the sun, having a reddish-orange surface with numerous dark patches and two white polar caps. It has a thin atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide, and low surface temperatures. Spacecraft encounters have revealed a history of volcanic activity and running surface water. The planet has two tiny satellites, Phobos and Deimos. Mean distance from sun: 228 million km; period of revolution around sun: 686.98 days; period of axial rotation: 24.6225 hours; diameter and mass: 53.2 and 10.7 per cent that of earth respectively
the alchemical name for iron
British Dictionary definitions for mars (3 of 4)
mar
/ (mɑː) /
verb mars, marring or marred
(tr)
to cause harm to; spoil or impair
noun
a disfiguring mark; blemish
Derived forms of mar
marrer, nounWord Origin for mar
Old English
merran; compare Old Saxon
merrian to hinder, Old Norse
merja to bruise
British Dictionary definitions for mars (4 of 4)
Mar
abbreviation for
March
Scientific definitions for mars
Mars
[ märz ]
The fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest in the solar system, with a diameter about half that of Earth. Mars is the last of the terrestrial or inner planets and has notable similarities to Earth, including polar ice caps and a tilted axis that gives it seasons. However, it is significantly less dense than Earth and has no magnetic field, suggesting that it lacks a metallic core, and its atmosphere, made up mostly of carbon dioxide, is much thinner than Earth's. Mars has no surface water apart from a layer of permanent ice that underlies the seasonally changing caps of frozen carbon dioxide at its poles; there is, however, clear evidence of earlier water flows in the form of channels, outwashes, and canyons. Other surface features include numerous craters, especially in the southern hemisphere, along with very large volcanoes and extensive windblown dunes. Mar's reddish color is due to the abundance of hematite in its surface rocks. Its two small, irregular moons, Phobos and Deimos, may be asteroids captured earlier by gravitational attraction. See Table at solar system.
Cultural definitions for mars (1 of 2)
notes for Mars
notes for Mars
The month of March is named after Mars.
Cultural definitions for mars (2 of 2)
Mars
In astronomy, the fourth major planet from the sun. Mars was named after the Roman god of war because of its red color. (See solar system; See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)
notes for Mars
Smaller than the
Earth, Mars has polar ice caps and a surface that includes red sands.
notes for Mars
The
Viking space mission, which placed landers on the surface of Mars, did not discover any signs of life.
notes for Mars
Mars has been, and remains, the focus of space research by NASA. Voyages to Mars, including multiple landings, are scheduled through the first decade of the twenty-first century.