Name and Etymology
- The traditional name Alioth comes from the Arabic alyat (fat tail of a sheep).
- This star as Añgiras, one of the Seven Rishis.
- In Chinese, 北斗 (Běi Dǒu), meaning Northern Dipper, refers to an asterism consisting of ε Ursae Majoris, α Ursae Majoris, β Ursae Majoris, γ Ursae Majoris, δ Ursae Majoris, ζ Ursae Majoris and η Ursae Majoris. Consequently, ε Ursae Majoris itself is known as 北斗五 (Běi Dǒu wu, English: the Fifth Star of Northern Dipper) and 玉衡 (Yù Héng, English: Star of Jade Sighting-Tube).
Read more about this topic: Epsilon Ursae Majoris
Famous quotes containing the words name and and/or etymology:
“Name any name and then remember everybody you ever knew who bore than name. Are they all alike. I think so.”
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)
“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)