Ursa Major

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ursa maior (“greater bear”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɝsə ˈmeɪdʒɚ/

Proper noun

Ursa Major

1. (astronomy) A large circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a bear. It includes the familiar asterism the Big Dipper and the stars Mizar, Dubhe, and Alkaid.
   • 1605 — Shakespeare, King Lear, i 2

     My father compounded with my mother under the dragon's tail, and my nativity was under ursa major.

Derived terms

• Ursae Majoris

Related terms

• UMa

Translations

large circumpolar constellation of the northern sky

• Arabic: اَلدُّب اَلْأَكْبَر m (ad-dub al-ʔakbar)
• Bashkir: Етегән (Yetegən)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大熊座 (zh) (Dàxióngzuò)

• Dutch: Grote Beer (nl)
• Estonian: Suur Vanker (et)
• Finnish: Iso karhu (fi), Otava (fi) (Big Dipper)
• French: Grande Ourse (fr) f
• Galician: Carro m, Osa Maior (gl) f
• German: Großer Bär (de) m
• Greek: Μεγάλη Άρκτος (el) f (Megáli Árktos)

  Ancient: Ἄρκτος Μεγάλη f (Árktos Megálē)

• Hungarian: Nagy Medve (hu)
• Ingrian: Suurottaava
• Ingush: Дардза Къонгаш (Dardza Qʼongaš)
• Irish: an Béar Mór m
• Italian: Orsa maggiore f
• Japanese: 大熊座 (ja) (おおぐまざ, Ōgumaza)
• Latin: Ursa Major f
• Latvian: Lielie Greizie rati
• Lithuanian: Didieji Grįžulo Ratai
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Low German:

  German Low German: Groot Boor m

• Malay: Beruang Besar
• Navajo: náhookǫs bikąʼii
• Nogai: Етеген (Yetegen)
• Persian: خرس بزرگ (xers-e-bozorg)
• Polish: Wielka Niedźwiedzica (pl) f
• Portuguese: Ursa Maior f
• Russian: Больша́я Медве́дица f (Bolʹšája Medvédica)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Ве̏ликӣ мѐдвед m

  Roman: Vȅlikī mèdved m

• Southern Altai: Јети Каан (J̌eti Kaan)
• Spanish: Osa Mayor f
• Swedish: Stora björn
• Tagalog: Daung-daungan
• Turkish: Büyük Ayı
• Turkmen: ýedigen
• Ukrainian: Вели́ка Ведме́диця f (Velýka Vedmédycja)
• Volapük: sigretaber (vo)
• Walloon: Grand Tchår (wa) m, Tchår Pôcet (wa) m

See also

• Big Dipper
• Charles' Wain
• Great Bear
• Ursa Minor