Canicula
- noun
- Archaic
:
Canícula
- The brilliant glow of Canicula can be seen just above the horizon before dawn.
Examples
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Look at the Canicula!
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Early texts often refer to Sirius as the Canicula or Dog Star.
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Ancient astronomers used the rising of the Canicula to mark the start of summer.
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The Canicula rose in the early morning sky.
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Canicula is often referred to as the Canicula due to its prominence in the Canis Major constellation.
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In ancient times, the appearance of Canicula in the night sky heralded the start of the hot summer days.
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Many sailors used Canicula as a navigational star because of its brightness and clarity in the night sky.
Synonyms
38
6.0
The brightest star in the night sky in the group of stars called Canis Major
1
6.7
The brightest star in the night sky, also called Sirius
An ancient name for the brightest star, seen in the big dog group of stars
Surface Forms
Etymology
Canicula comes from the Latin canis meaning 'dog' plus a Latin ending that makes it 'little', so it literally means 'little dog', and you can see the same root in the English word canine. That's why Canicula was used for the star Sirius, the bright Dog Star, because it sits with the big dog in the sky.