Ursids

American

[ur-sidz] / ˈɜr sɪdz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

a collection of meteors comprising a meteor shower Ursid meteor shower visible around December 22 and having its apparent origin in the constellation Ursa Major.

Etymology

Origin of Ursids

Urs(a Major) + -id ¹ + -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If you miss both the Geminids and Ursids, don't despair.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

Although not as bright or as frequent as the meteors that come with the Geminids, the Ursids, which peak on 23 December, could deliver five to 10 meteors per hour.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024

The Ursids are a smaller meteor shower with about 10 shooting stars an hour that peak Dec. 21-22.

From Washington Post • Nov. 29, 2019

The parent comet for the Ursids is 8P/Tuttle, named for Horace Tuttle, a late-19th-century Naval Observatory astronomer.

From Washington Post • Nov. 29, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023