Wiktionary
n. (context Norse mythology English) An instance of a type of giants associated with coldness and iciness.
Wikipedia
An ice giant is a giant planet composed mainly of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. There are two known ice giants in the Solar System, Uranus and Neptune. Since 2014, there has been theoretical evidence of the existence of a possible third ice giant, which, if it exists, would be the Solar System's ninth planet.
Ice giants consist of only about 20% hydrogen and helium in mass, as opposed to the Solar System's gas giants ( Jupiter and Saturn), which are both more than 90% hydrogen and helium in mass. In the 1990s, it was realized that Uranus and Neptune are a distinct class of giant planet, separate from the other giant planets. They have become known as ice giants because their constituent compounds were ices when they were primarily incorporated into the planets during their formation, either directly in the form of ices or trapped in water ice. The amount of solid volatiles within the ice giants today is, however, very small.
Ice giant, Ice Giant, or Ice giants may refer to:
- Ice giant, a type of giant planet composed largely of 'ices', volatile materials heavier than hydrogen and helium
- Frost giants (hrímþursar) of Norse mythology
- Godlike beings in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, see Discworld gods#Ice Giants
Usage examples of "ice giant".
As they bore down on the great ice giant, Pitt and Hunnewell shared a strange sense of emptiness.