saturnine [LME] In medieval astrology the planet Saturn represented lead, and those born under its influence could expect to be gloomy, sluggish, and cold. The planet takes its name from the Roman god Saturn, the equivalent of Greek Cronus or Kronos, who had been the supreme god until Zeus dethroned him. Saturday [OE] was ‘the day of Saturn’ in Roman times. Satire [E16th] has no connection with Saturn, nor with satyrs. It comes from Latin satura ‘poetic medley’ later used in the modern sense, while where the Greeks got the term for the goatish satyrs [LME] is not known. See also jovial.