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Procyon

[proh-see-on]
noun Astronomy.
  1. a first-magnitude star in the constellation Canis Minor.
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for procyon

Historical Examples

  • I'm going to Procyon on the Valhalla at the end of this week.

    Starman's Quest

    Robert Silverberg

  • Canopus and Deneb, Rigel and Procyon, he would visit them all.

    Starman's Quest

    Robert Silverberg

  • And the Valhalla was still bound on its long journey to Procyon.

    Starman's Quest

    Robert Silverberg

  • The agouara (Procyon cancrivorus) is frequently met with in Mexico.

  • Another predicted one, belonging to Procyon, has not yet been seen.

British Dictionary definitions for procyon

Procyon

noun
  1. 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
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Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for procyon

Procyon

n.

bright star in constellation Canis Minoris, 1650s, from Latin, from Greek prokyon, from pro "before" (see pro-) + kyon "dog" (see canine (n.)); so called from its rising just before the "Dog Star," Sirius. By Roman astronomers, sometimes Latinized as Antecanis.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
procyon in Science

Procyon

[prō′sē-ŏn′]
  1. A very bright binary star in the constellation Canis Minor, with an apparent magnitude of 0.34. Scientific name: Alpha Canis Minoris.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.