Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A binary star in the constellation Canis Minor. Also called Dog Star.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An ancient constellation: same as Canis Minor. See Canis.
- n. The principal star of the constellation Canis Minor, the eighth brightest in the heavens.
- n. In zoology, the typical genus of the family Procyonidæ, and the only genus of the subfamily Procyoninæ, founded by Storr in 1784, containing the racoons. See cut under racoon.
Wiktionary
- n. astronomy A star in the constellation Canis Minor; Alpha (α) Canis Minoris. The eighth brightest star in the night sky.
- n. A taxonomic genus within the family Procyonidae — the raccoons.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Astron.) A star of the first magnitude in the constellation
Canis Minor , or the Little Dog. - n. (Zoöl.) A genus of mammals including the raccoon.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the type genus of the family Procyonidae: raccoons
- n. the brightest star in Canis Minor
Etymologies
- From Latin Procyōn, from Ancient Greek Προκύων (Prokuōn), from πρό (pro, "before") + κύων (kuōn, "dog"), in reference to it preceding the "Dog Star" Sirius. (Wiktionary)
- Latin Procyōn, from Greek Prokuōn : pro-, before; see pro-2 + kuōn, dog; see kwon- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“We afterwards found a good supply, at a lagoon about half a mile lower down; from which a little dog of mine (called Procyon), had come out wet, and so made it known to us.”
Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia
“a little north of east about half an hour before Sirius, the Dog Star, hence it was called Procyon from two Greek words which signify "before the dog.”
“For some lost reason, men found it hard to decide which sun to go to, but eventually, with the aid of instruments in which they were cunning, they picked on a bright sun called "Procyon" to which planets were attached, and which was only a distance called "eleven light-years" away.”
“' 'Procyon' '', also known as '' 'Alpha Canis Minoris' '' or the '' 'Little Dog Star' '', is the brighter of two stars that make up the constellation [[Canis Minor]].”
“' 'Procyon' '', also known as '' 'Alpha Canis Minoris' '' or the '' 'Little Dog Star' '', is the brighter of thet wo stars that make up the constellation”
“Rocket Attack on FOB Procyon by submissionJanuary 22nd, 2009”
365 tomorrows » 2009 » January : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day
“The commotion continued for the few minutes it took for the satellites overhead to search the misty hills surrounding Procyon.”
365 tomorrows » 2009 » January : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day
“The ISS will pass almost directly overhead at 7:26 p.m., then slip into the Earth's shadow at 7:27, vanishing near the bright star Procyon.”
The Washington Post: Image of day: Space station & Discovery overhead
“Procyon is orbited by a white dwarf companion first seen optically in 1896.”
“With twice the diameter of the Sun, Procyon is also the largest star within 25 light years.”
Tweets
Looking for tweets for Procyon.
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