Ophiuchus

[of-ee-yoo-kuh s, oh-fee-]

noun, genitive Oph·i·u·chi

[of-ee-yoo-kahy, oh-fee-] /ˌɒf iˈyu kaɪ, ˌoʊ fi-/. Astronomy.

the Serpent Bearer, a constellation on the celestial equator between Libra and Aquila.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ophiuchus

Historical Examples of ophiuchus

And so they were utterly defeated at the Battle of Ophiuchus.
A Question of Courage
Jesse Franklin Bone
Its place was near the heel of the right foot of 'Ophiuchus huge.'
Myths and Marvels of Astronomy
Richard A. Proctor
Ophiuchus is thus represented as holding the serpent with both hands.
Astronomy for Young Folks
Isabel Martin Lewis
The children did, and placed pebbles for the head and shoulders of Ophiuchus.
The Star People
Gaylord Johnson
It is writhing in the hands of Ophiuchus, the old man who is called ‘The Serpent-bearer.’
The Star People
Gaylord Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for ophiuchus

Ophiuchus

noun Latin genitive Ophiuchi (ɒˈfjuːkaɪ)

a large constellation lying on the celestial equator between Hercules and Scorpius and containing the dark nebula, Ophiuchus Nebula

Word Origin for Ophiuchus

C17: via Latin from Greek Ophioukhos, from ophis snake + ekhein to hold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ophiuchus

Ophiuchus

constellation (representing Aesculapius), 1650s, from Latin, from Greek ophioukhos, literally "holding a serpent," from ophis "serpent" (see ophio-) + stem of ekhein "to hold, have, keep" (see scheme (n.)). The constellation is equatorial, and Milton's "Ophiuchus huge in th' Arctick Sky" ("Paradise Lost") is a rare lapse for a poet who generally knew his astronomy.