Arcturus
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əs, -ˈtyʊər-1352–75; < Latin < Greek Arktoûros, equivalent to árkt(os) bear + -oûros keeper; replacing Middle English arture < Middle French
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Arcturus (ɑːkˈtjʊərəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| the brightest star in the constellation Boötes: a red giant. Visual magnitude: --0.4; spectral type: K2III; distance: 37 light years | |
| [C14: from Latin, from Greek Arktouros, from arktos bear + ouros guard, keeper] | |
| Arc'turian | |
| —adj | |
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| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Arcturus
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Arcturus  (ärk-t r'əs) Pronunciation Key
A giant star in the constellation Boötes. It is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere and the fourth brightest star in the sky, with an apparent magnitude of 0.00. Scientific name: Alpha Boötes. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Arcturus definition
bear-keeper, the name given by the ancients to the brightest star in the constellation Bootes. In the Authorized Version (Job 9:9; 38:32) it is the rendering of the Hebrew word _'ash_, which probably designates the constellation the Great Bear. This word ('ash) is supposed to be derived from an Arabic word meaning night-watcher, because the Great Bear always revolves about the pole, and to our nothern hemisphere never sets.
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arcturus
one of the five brightest stars in the night sky, and the brightest star in the northern constellation Bootes, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.05. It is an orange-coloured giant star about 37 light-years from the Earth. It lies in an almost direct line with the tail of Ursa Major (the Great Bear); hence its name, derived from the Greek words for "bear guard."
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