Procyon

[ proh-see-on ]

/ ˈproʊ siˌɒn /

Save This Word!

noun Astronomy.

a first-magnitude star in the constellation Canis Minor.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Procyon

1650–60; <Latin <Greek Prokýōn name of a star, equivalent to pro-pro-² + kýōn dog (see hound¹); so called because it rises just before Sirius, the Dog Star

Words nearby Procyon

procuratory, procure, procurement, procurer, procuress, Procyon, Procyonidae, prod, prodd, Prodi, prodigal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Procyon in a sentence

I heard talk, in the Procyon port, of a spy that had managed to get through on a Lhari ship.
The Colors of Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley
One day, at last, he stood at the viewport, watching Procyon Alpha nearing.
The Colors of Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley
The companion of Sirius is about ten magnitudes and that of Procyon about twelve magnitudes fainter than the star itself.
A Text-Book of Astronomy|George C. Comstock
The other is the cruiser Procyon, the only real warship on Uller, with a main battery of four 200-mm guns.
Uller Uprising|Henry Beam Piper, John D. Clark and John F. Carr

In 1834 and 1840 he began to suspect a want of uniformity in the proper motion of Sirius and Procyon respectively.
History of Astronomy|George Forbes

British Dictionary definitions for Procyon

Procyon

/ (ˈprəʊsɪən) /

noun

the brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor, a binary with a very faint companion. Visual magnitude: 0.34; spectral type: F5IV; distance: 114 light years

Word Origin for Procyon

C17: via Latin from Greek Prokuōn literally: before the Dog, from pro- ² + kuōn dog; so named because it rises just before Sirius, the Dog Star

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

Scientific definitions for Procyon

Procyon

[ prō′sē-ŏn′ ]

A very bright binary star in the constellation Canis Minor, with an apparent magnitude of 0.34. Scientific name: Alpha Canis Minoris.