English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
adj

saturnine

Saturnine (adj) means of a person: having a tendency to be cold and gloomy.

adj
1
Of a person: having a tendency to be cold and gloomy.
2
Of a setting: depressing, dull, gloomy.
3
Synonym of leaden, of or related to the metal lead, associated with the planet Saturn in European alchemy.
4
Caused or affected by lead poisoning (saturnism).
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “saturnine” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Etymology

From Middle English saturnine, satournine, satournyne, saturnin, saturnyn, saturnyne (“pertaining to or under the influence of the planet Saturn; line on the palm of the hand associated with Saturn”), from Old French saturnine, saturnin (modern French saturnin (“of, pertaining to, resembling or containing lead, plumbic”)), or directly from its etymon Medieval Latin Sāturnīnus, from Sāturnus (“the Roman god Saturn; the planet Saturn”) + -īnus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’); analysable as Saturn + -ine. The English word is cognate with Italian saturnino (“saturnine”), Portuguese saturnino (“melancholy, saturnine; pertaining to the planet Saturn”), Spanish saturnino (“melancholy, saturnine; pertaining to the planet Saturn”). Sense 1 (“having a tendency to be cold, bitter, gloomy, etc.”) refers to the fact that individuals born under the astrological influence of the planet Saturn were believed to have that disposition.

Rhymes for saturnine

See all rhymes for saturnine →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of saturnine?

"saturnine" (adj) means of a person: having a tendency to be cold and gloomy.

What are the different meanings of saturnine?

"saturnine" has 3 main meanings: 1. Of a person: having a tendency to be cold and gloomy; 2. Of a setting: depressing, dull, gloomy; 3. Synonym of leaden, of or related to the metal lead, associated with the planet Saturn in European alchemy.

Definitions from wiktionary, CC BY-SA · etymology from Wiktionary