tholin

T1H4O1L1I1N1

noun

Any of several poorly classified heteropolymers derived from simple hydrocarbons and ammonia formed by solar irradiation in the atmospheres of icy planets and moons.

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Meanings

nountholin (plural tholins)

plural tholins

  1. astronomyAny of several poorly classified heteropolymers derived from simple hydrocarbons and ammonia formed by solar irradiation in the atmospheres of icy planets and moons.

Origin

From Ancient Greek θολός (tholós, “muddy”) + -in. Coined by Carl Sagan and Bishun Khare in 1979. From the muddy coloration that this class of chemical compounds appear to have, when observed on the Saturnian moon Titan, and from Miller–Urey-style experiments.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French tholine, tholin
  • tholineTranslations
  • tholinTranslations
Polish tolin
  • tolinTranslations

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Hilton
Cite this entry
APA

tholin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tholin

MLA

“tholin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tholin. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tholin,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tholin.

Source: tholin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.