Charles's Wain
- noun
- /ˈtʃɑrlɪz weɪn/
- Archaic
:
Carro de Charles
- In old English folklore, Charles's Wain guided travelers at night.
Examples
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In the clear night sky, Charles's Wain was easily visible above the horizon.
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Look at Charles's Wain shining brightly in the night sky.
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The poet described the journey of Charles's Wain across the heavens.
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Did you see Charles's Wain last night?
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In the clear night sky, Charles's Wain was easily visible above the horizon.
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In old English folklore, Charles's Wain guided travelers at night.
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Look at Charles's Wain shining brightly in the night sky.
Synonyms
11
3.2
A pattern of seven bright stars that looks like a large ladle in the northern sky
7
5.1
A group of seven bright stars in the sky that form the Big Dipper
1
6.6
A group of seven stars forming a bowl shape used to find the North Star
A group of seven bright stars in the northern sky called the Big Dipper
Surface Forms
Morphology
Charles's + Wain
This is a historical proper name whose meaning (the Big Dipper/asterism) cannot be derived from the possessive 'Charles's' and the archaic noun 'wain' (wagon/asterism). The reference is culturally and historically specific and therefore unpredictable for a B1 learner who merely knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Charles's Wain may come from old English where wain means 'wagon' because the seven bright stars look like a wagon moving across the sky. One popular story links Charles to the famous ruler Charlemagne, so people called that sky 'wagon' after him, and that is why Charles's Wain came to mean the group of seven stars now called the 'Big Dipper'.