Ursa Minor

[ ur-suh-mahy-ner ]

noun,genitive Ur·sae Mi·nor·is [ur-see mi-nawr-is, -nohr-]. /ˈɜr si mɪˈnɔr ɪs, -ˈnoʊr-/. Astronomy.
  1. 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.

Origin of Ursa Minor

1
First recorded in 1590–1600

Words Nearby Ursa Minor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Ursa Minor in a sentence

  • The observer will note the uncomfortable position of Ursa Minor, attached to the pole by the end of its long tail.

    Astronomy with an Opera-glass | Garrett Putman Serviss
  • Ursa Minor contains the pole-star, which is shown in the extremity of the tail of the bear.

    The Ruins | C. F. [Constantin Francois de] Volney
  • But was this constellation the same which we now-a-days call Ursa Minor?

    Everyday Objects | W. H. Davenport Adams
  • Ursa Minor, the Lesser Bear, an inconspicuous constellation, the pole-star forming the tip of the tail.

    The Nuttall Encyclopaedia | Edited by Rev. James Wood
  • He also associates god C with the constellation of Ursa Minor.

    Animal Figures in the Maya Codices | Alfred M. Tozzer and Glover M. Allen

British Dictionary definitions for Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor

/ (ˈɜːsə ˈmaɪnə) /


nounLatin genitive Ursae Minoris (ˈɜːsiː mɪˈnɔːrɪs)
  1. a small faint constellation, the brightest star of which is the Pole Star, lying 1° from the true celestial pole: Also called: the Little Bear, the Bear, (US and Canadian) the Little Dipper

Origin of Ursa Minor

1
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

  1. 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.