Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Rigil Kent

Rigil Kent

9.9
Old name for Alpha Centauri, the bright star in Centaurus and the second closest star to the Sun
  • proper noun
translation icon : Rigil Kent
  • Historical records often refer to Alpha Centauri as Rigil Kent.

Examples

  • Rigil Kent is visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere.

  • Astronomers have studied Rigil Kent as a possible destination for interstellar probes.

  • Look at Rigil Kent!

  • The star Rigil Kent is often used in navigation.

  • Rigil Kent is visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere.

  • Astronomers have studied Rigil Kent as a possible destination for interstellar probes.

  • Historical records often refer to Alpha Centauri as Rigil Kent.

Synonyms

Alpha Centauri
vsRigil Kent
  • Specialized
7.1

A very bright star in the Centaurus group and the second nearest star system to the Sun

is the traditional historic name rather than the standard scientific designation
Rigil
vsRigil Kent
9.9

Bright star in the Centaurus constellation, one of the stars closest to the Sun

is the traditional longer name rather than this shorter proper form

Surface Forms

Rigil Kent main

Morphology

Rigil + Kent

The constituent 'Rigil' signals a bright star, so a learner who knows that could infer the phrase refers to a star or star name; however 'Kent' has no clear lexical meaning here and offers no clue that it specifically denotes Alpha Centauri. Because this is a proper name and its precise identification (the traditional name for Alpha Centauri) is not compositional or predictable from the parts, the expression is only partially transparent to learners.

Etymology

Rigil Kent may come from old star maps that called this bright star the 'foot of the centaur.' The star sits where the centaur's foot is shown in the picture of the sky, so the name became the traditional one for Alpha Centauri.