What does titania mean?
Titania is principally a proper name with two celebrated referents. In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Titania is the queen of the fairies, a character whose mistaken identity and imperious temperament create much of the play's comic conflict. The name is also used for the largest natural satellite of Uranus, whose shepherd moon was named for Shakespeare's character. In addition, titania is an older name for titanium dioxide, especially the white pigment and ceramic material historically known by that term. These senses should be kept distinct: the literary and astronomical uses are proper nouns and normally capitalized, whereas the material use may appear in lower case. Titania is etymologically connected with "Titan," ultimately the name used for the giants of Greek mythology, which also explains the related word "Titanic." Its combination of theatrical mythology and modern astronomy makes it especially memorable: a Shakespearean queen has become a world with craters, ice, and a measurable orbit.
nounTitania is the name of Shakespeare's fairy queen in A Midsummer Night's Dream and of the largest natural satellite of Uranus. In materials science, titania is also an older name for titanium dioxide, especially the white pigment historically used in paint.
- The queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- The largest natural satellite of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean fairy queen.
- An older name for titanium dioxide, particularly the white pigment historically used in paint.
"Titania's quarrel with Oberon sets the fairy-world plot of the play in motion."
"Titania's disagreement with Oberon sets the fairy-world plot in motion."
"Astronomers mapped Titania's icy, cratered surface."
The plural is uncommon. The Shakespearean and astronomical senses are proper names, while titania as titanium dioxide is normally used as a mass noun.
"The report compared titanias from two different suppliers."
Shakespeare's fairy queen has her own moon: Titania is the largest of Uranus's satellites.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of titania
Titania was formed in English from Latin Titania, a form associated with the Titans; Shakespeare used the name for the fairy queen in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The moon of Uranus received its name in the 19th century as part of the sequence naming its satellites after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. The material sense developed through the name titanium, which is itself derived from the mythological Titans.
How titania is actually used
The Shakespearean and astronomical senses are proper nouns and are normally capitalized. The material sense may appear as lowercase "titania," although "titanium dioxide" is now more common. Pronunciation differs notably between British and American English.
Easily confused with titania
Titania is the Shakespearean fairy queen and the largest moon of Uranus, whereas Titan is both a member of Greek mythology and the name of a moon of Saturn.