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Ursa Minor

[ ur-suh -mahy-ner ]
/ ˈɜr sə ˈmaɪ nər /

noun, genitive Ur·sae Mi·nor·is [ur-see mi-nawr-is, -nohr-]. /ˈɜr si mɪˈnɔr ɪs, -ˈnoʊr-/. Astronomy.

the Little or Lesser Bear, the northernmost constellation, containing the stars that form the Little Dipper, the outermost of which, at the end of the handle, is Polaris.

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Origin of Ursa Minor

First recorded in 1590–1600

Words nearby Ursa Minor

urothorax, uroureter, Urquhart, Urquhart Castle, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, ursid, Ursids, ursiform, ursine, ursine dasyure
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor
/ (ˈɜːsə ˈmaɪnə) /

noun Latin genitive Ursae Minoris (ˈɜːsiː mɪˈnɔːrɪs)

a small faint constellation, the brightest star of which is the Pole Star, lying 1° from the true celestial poleAlso called: the Little Bear, the Bear, (US and Canadian) the Little Dipper

Word Origin for Ursa Minor

Latin: lesser bear
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 Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor

A ladle-shaped constellation very near the north celestial pole. Ursa Minor (the Lesser Bear) contains the seven stars that form the Little Dipper. Polaris, the North Star, is at the end of the dipper's handle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor

The Little Bear or Little Dipper; the constellation that contains the North Star (Polaris).

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.