Polaris
pronunciation
How to pronounce Polaris in British English:
UK [pəuˈlɛəris]
How to pronounce Polaris in American English:
US [pəˈlærɪs]
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- Noun:
- the brightest star in Ursa Minor; at the end of the handle of the little dipper; the northern axis of the earth points toward it
Word Origin
- Polaris (n.)
- 1769, short for stella polaris, Modern Latin, literally "the pole star" (see polar). The ancient Greeks called it Phoenice, "the Phoenician (star)," because the Phoenicians used it for navigation, though due to precession of the equinoxes it was not then the pole star. Also see pole (n.2). The Old English word for it was Scip-steorra "ship-star," reflecting its importance in navigation. As the name of a U.S. Navy long-range submarine-launched guided nuclear missile, it dates from 1957.
Example
- 1. One is polaris office , an app that handles microsoft office documents .
- 2. Also called the north star , polaris is the brightest dot in the constellation ursa minor .
- 3. Bright north star polaris stands above the peak in an exposure that also captures the brilliant trail of a polar orbiting iridium satellite .
- 4. He is also the public relations director for the washington , d.c. - based polaris project japan , which combats human trafficking and the exploitation of women and children in the sex trade .
- 5. Back in 1966 , the u.s. signed a secret agreement with britain allowing the pentagon to use the territory as an air base in exchange for a big discount on polaris nuclear missiles .