Sirius

[sir-ee-uhs]

noun

1. Astronomy.,  the Dog Star, the brightest-appearing star in the heavens, located in the constellation Canis Major.

2. Classical Mythology.,  Also Sirius

   1. the dog of Orion.

   2. Icarius' faithful dog, who was changed into a star.

Sirius

/ ˈsɪrɪəs /

noun

1. Also called: the Dog Star.  Canicula.  Sothis. the brightest star in the sky after the sun, lying in the constellation Canis Major. It is a binary star whose companion, Sirius B , is a very faint white dwarf. Distance: 8.6 light years

Sirius

1. The brightest star seen in the night sky. It is in the constellation Canis Major. It is a white main-sequence star on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, with an apparent magnitude of −1.5. Sirius is a binary star, and its companion is a white dwarf star referred to as the Pup. Sirius is also known as the Dog Star. Scientific name: Alpha Canis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sirius¹

1325–75; Middle English < Latin Sīrius < Greek Seírios

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sirius¹

C14: via Latin from Greek Seirios, of obscure origin