polar star
1
4.6
- noun
- /ˈpoʊlər stɑr/
:
estrella polar
- The polar star is fixed, unique in all the heavens; that polar star is you; the only sure star is you.
Examples
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Sailors often use the polar star for navigation at night because it points directly toward the north celestial pole.
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The polar star is fixed, unique in all the heavens; that polar star is you; the only sure star is you.
Blog text (6) -
My only support is you; the polar star is you.
Blog text (6) -
At night, under the polar star, the sheer beauty of the natural world had knocked him to the ground.
Fiction book (1994) -
The polar star, also known as Polaris, is the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation.
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Finding the polar star can help hikers determine which direction they are heading in the wilderness.
Synonyms
10
3.5
A bright star almost still in the northern sky that people use to find north
7
5.6
A bright star in the north sky called the North Star that people use to find direction
1
5.6
The star nearly above Earth's North Pole used to find direction at night
1
6.8
A bright star in the north sky used to find north
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally transparent: 'polar' (relating to the pole) combined with 'star' yields a star associated with the pole, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the star near the (north) celestial pole used for navigation. Although the more common English collocation is 'pole star' and the specific reference to Polaris is specialized knowledge, the basic sense is directly derivable from the parts.
Etymology
The noun polar star comes from the star's place near the north pole; polar means 'of the pole' and the star seems almost still above it. Sailors and travellers used this fixed star, called Polaris, to find 'north', so the name became the way to talk about the bright star that guides the way.