Ursa Major

American  

[ur-suh mey-jer] / ˈɜr sə ˈmeɪ dʒər /

noun

Astronomy.

• Ursae Majoris
  genitive

1. the Great Bear, the most prominent northern constellation, containing the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.

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Ursa Major British  

/ ˈɜːsə ˈmeɪdʒə /

noun

1. Also called: the Great Bear.   the Bear.  an extensive conspicuous constellation in the N hemisphere, visible north of latitude 40°. The seven brightest stars form the Plough. A line through the two brightest stars points to the Pole Star lying in Ursa Minor

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Ursa Major Scientific  

/ ûr′sə /

1. A constellation in the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere near Draco and Leo. Ursa Major (the Great Bear) contains the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.

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Ursa Major Cultural  

1. A constellation; the Great Bear. (See Big Dipper.)

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Etymology

Origin of Ursa Major

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ursa Major

Colorado-based Ursa Major is helping close the gap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

It originated near the outer region of the galaxy NGC 4141, located about 130 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026

It is not known what caused the explosion on Ursa Major as it passed between Oran in Algeria and the Spanish town of Aguilas.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2024

Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is one of the most prominent northern constellations, and its main claim to fame is that it contains the Big Dipper, a highly recognizable asterism.

From National Geographic ● Aug. 23, 2023

The stuff seemed to go on forever, and if it hadn’t been for Ursa Major, we would’ve gotten lost.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan