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Glite Dictionary
Little Dipper

Little Dipper

2 5.6
A group of seven stars that look like a small spoon in the northern sky with Polaris at its handle
  • noun
  • /ˈlɪtəl ˈdɪpər/
translation icon : Pequeño Carro
  • The Little Dipper is shaped like a ladle and contains Polaris at the tip of its handle.
  • bowl of the Little Dipper
  • handle of the Little Dipper
  • Little Dipper asterism

Examples

  • If I could find the Little Dipper, I could find the North Star.

    Couples Retreat (2009)

  • Lately, I can only see three stars in the Little Dipper.

    Blog text (22)

  • Is that the Little Dipper or the Big one?

    Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)

  • In fact, the North Star is part of the Little Dipper.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I'm looking for the Little Dipper.

    Couples Retreat (2009)

  • Shane, help me find the Little Dipper.

    Couples Retreat (2009)

  • She always knows the difference between the Big and the Little Dipper.

    The Tiger Hunter (2017)

  • When it gets all the way dark, it'll be on the handle of the Little Dipper.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • And Polaris is the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The Little Dipper forms almost the entire constellation of the Little Bear.

    Fiction book (1999)

Synonyms

Ursa Minor
vsLittle Dipper
7.1

A small group of stars in the north sky with the North Star

is the specific seven-star asterism inside that constellation rather than the whole constellation
Little Bear
vsLittle Dipper
6.0

A small group of stars in the northern sky that includes the North Star

is the specific seven-star asterism within that constellation rather than the whole constellation

Surface Forms

Little Dipper singular
Little Dippers plural

Morphology

Little + Dipper

The meaning is directly compositional: 'little' (small) + 'dipper' (a dipper-shaped object or asterism) yields 'a small dipper', i.e., a cluster of stars shaped like a dipper. This is a straightforward noun + modifier naming pattern (common for constellations and objects), so a B1 learner who knows both words could infer it refers to a small dipper-shaped star group.

Etymology

Little Dipper comes from how seven stars make a small spoon shape in the sky, so it looks like a little dipper, with Polaris, the 'North Star', at the tip of its handle. That's why the name now means that small group of stars you can find in the northern sky.