Etymology
The origin of the name Kochab is from Arabic الكوكب al-kawkab "the star", short for الكوكب الشمالي al-kawkab al-šamāliyy "the north star" (lit. heavenly body), a name shared with Polaris and may be the star called ΠολΟς Polos by the ancient Greeks in an era when it was nearer the pole.
In Chinese, 北極 (Běi Jí), meaning North Pole, refers to an asterism consisting of β Ursae Minoris, γ Ursae Minoris, 5 Ursae Minoris, 4 Ursae Minoris and Σ 1694. Consequently, β Ursae Minoris itself is known as 北極二 (Běi Jí èr, English: the Second Star of North Pole.), representing 帝 (Dì), meaning Emperor.
Read more about this topic: Beta Ursae Minoris
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)