Argo Navis
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈɑrɡoʊ ˈneɪvɪs/
- The ancient Greeks recognized Argo Navis as a single impressive constellation representing Jason's ship.
Examples
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Modern astronomy no longer uses Argo Navis, but refers to its parts as separate constellations.
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Early star charts depicted Argo Navis before it was officially divided into smaller constellations.
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Look for Argo Navis!
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The constellation Argo Navis was once recognized as a single entity.
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Early star charts depicted Argo Navis before it was officially divided into smaller constellations.
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Modern astronomy no longer uses Argo Navis, but refers to its parts as separate constellations.
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The ancient Greeks recognized Argo Navis as a distinct constellation representing Jason's ship.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A former large group of stars in the southern sky now split into Carina, Puppis, Pyxis, and Vela
Surface Forms
Morphology
Argo + Navis
Argo Navis is a Latin proper name for a historical constellation; its current meaning as a (former) large southern constellation is a language- and culture-specific designation rather than a compositional meaning of the parts. Even if a learner recognised 'Argo' or knew 'navis' as Latin for 'ship', that knowledge would not let a B1 learner predict the astronomical/constellation sense, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Argo Navis comes from the old story of Jason's ship: Argo is the ship's name and Navis means 'ship', so early star maps showed a big 'ship' across the sky. Because it covered a large area, later sky map makers 'divided' Argo Navis into smaller constellations called Carina, Puppis, Vela, and Pyxis, so today it is a former 'constellation'.