1. (Class. Myth.) One of the nine Muses, daughter of Zeus by Mnemosyne, and patron of astronomy.
2. (Zoöl.) A genus of large, brilliantly colored moths native of the West Indies and South America. Their
bright colored and tailed hind wings and their diurnal flight cause them to closely resemble butterflies.
Uranian
(U*ra"ni*an) a. (Astron.) Of or pertaining to the planet Uranus; as, the Uranian year.
Uranic
(U*ran"ic) a.
1. Of or pertaining to the heavens; celestial; astronomical.
On I know not what telluric or uranic principles.
Carlyle. 2. (Chem.) Pertaining to, resembling, or containing uranium; specifically, designating those compounds
in which uranium has a valence relatively higher than in uranous compounds.
Uranin
(U"ra*nin) n. (Chem.) An alkaline salt of fluorescein, obtained as a brownish red substance,
which is used as a dye; — so called from the peculiar yellowish green fluorescence (resembling that of
uranium glass) of its solutions. See Fluorescein.
Uraninite
(U*ran"i*nite) n. (Min.) A mineral consisting chiefly of uranium oxide with some lead, thorium,
etc., occurring in black octahedrons, also in masses with a pitchlike luster; pitchblende.
Uraniscoplasty
(U`ra*nis"co*plas`ty) n. [Gr. top of a tent, plate (fr. sky) + -plasty.] (Surg.) The process
of forming an artificial palate.
Uraniscoraphy
(U`ra*nis*cor"a*phy, U`ra*nis*cor"rha*phy) n. [Gr. the top of a tent, the palate (fr. sky) +
a seam.] (Surg.) Suture of the palate. See Staphyloraphy.
Uranite
(U"ra*nite) n. [Cf. G. uranit, F. uranite.] (Min.) A general term for the uranium phosphates,
autunite, or lime uranite, and torbernite, or copper uranite.
Uranitic
(U`ra*nit"ic) a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to uranium; containing uranium.
Uranium
(U*ra"ni*um) n. [NL., from Uranus the planet. See Uranus.] (Chem.) An element of the
chromium group, found in certain rare minerals, as pitchblende, uranite, etc., and reduced as a heavy,
hard, nickel-white metal which is quite permanent. Its yellow oxide is used to impart to glass a delicate
greenish- yellow tint which is accompanied by a strong fluorescence, and its black oxide is used as a
pigment in porcelain painting. Symbol U. Atomic weight 239.
Uranium was discovered in the state of an oxide by Klaproth in 1789, and so named in honor of Herschel's
discovery of the planet Uranus in 1781.
Uran-ocher
(U"ran-o`cher, U"ran-o`chre) n. [Cf. F. uranochre.] (Min.) (a) A yellow, earthy incrustation,
consisting essentially of the oxide of uranium, but more or less impure.
Uranographic
(U`ra*no*graph"ic U`ra*no*graph"ic*al) a. Of or pertaining to uranography; as, an uranographic
treatise.
Uranographist
(U`ra*nog"ra*phist) n. One practiced in uranography.
Uranography
(U`ra*nog"ra*phy) n. [Gr. heaven + to write.] A description or plan of the heavens and
the heavenly bodies; the construction of celestial maps, globes, etc.; uranology.
Uranolite
(U*ran"o*lite) n. [Gr. heaven + - lite.] A meteorite or aërolite. [Obs.] Hutton.
