North Star
10
3.5
- noun
- /nɔrθ stɑr/
:
estrella polar
- On a clear night, they found the North Star, also known as Polaris.
- North Star (Polaris)
Examples
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It's easy to find one's latitude by measuring the altitude of the North Star (Polaris).
Academic text (2002) -
On a clear night, you can easily spot the North Star, which helps sailors navigate.
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See, I take the North Star there as a fixed point.
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We follow the North Star.
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Check it against the North Star.
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And I can always locate the North Star at night.
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Look, there's the North Star right there.
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Our train is following the bright North Star that is already visible in the darkening sky.
Fiction book (1995) -
Many travelers have relied on the North Star for guidance during their journeys.
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When lost in the wilderness, people often look for the North Star to find their way home.
Synonyms
7
5.6
A bright star in the north sky called the North Star that people use to find direction
1
6.8
A bright star in the north sky used to find north
1
5.6
The star nearly above Earth's North Pole used to find direction at night
1
4.6
A bright star called Polaris that sits almost above Earth's north pole and shows true north
A star sailors use to find direction at night
How Guiding
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'North Star' is directly compositional: 'north' (a cardinal direction) + 'star' (a celestial object) yields the predictable referent 'the star toward the north' — i.e., the star used for navigation (Polaris). Although it's a conventionalized proper name, the meaning follows straightforward logic and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer its meaning.
Etymology
North Star is the bright star people used to find 'north' at night because it sits almost still in the sky above Earth's north pole. That's why it became a natural 'guide' and a reliable point to help people find direction.