Russell's teapot

proper noun

A china teapot which hypothetically orbits the Sun between Earth and Mars, which is too small to be detected by telescopes but cannot be proven not to exist.

Meanings

proper noun
  1. human sciencesA china teapot which hypothetically orbits the Sun between Earth and Mars, which is too small to be detected by telescopes but cannot be proven not to exist.

    Synonyms: celestial teapot, cosmic teapot

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA china teapot which hypothetically orbits the Sun between Earth and Mars, which is too small to be detected by telescopes but cannot be proven not to exist.

Origin

From a teapot described in an article written in 1952 by Bertrand Russell, Is There a God?.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Russell's teapot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Russell's%20teapot

MLA

“Russell's teapot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Russell's%20teapot. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Russell's teapot,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Russell's%20teapot.

Source: Russell's teapot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.