Cynosura

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The constellation Ursa Minor, whose bright end star marks the north celestial pole ; a focal point that draws attention or serves as a guide
2. The Little Dipper constellation and its pole star used for navigation ; something that becomes the centre of interest or a source of direction
3. Polaris and the constellation around it, long used to find north ; the object or person that attracts the most notice or leads others onward

Etymology: Cynosura comes from Greek "kynosoura", literally "dog's tail", from "kyon" (dog) and "oura" (tail). The name was applied to the constellation we call Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper, and the star at the end of its handle is Polaris, the North Star. The Greeks probably used the name because the constellation's curved handle looked like a tail. Ancient writers, including Callimachus, associated the stars with the Cynosura, and the name passed into Latin and then into English as a term for the Little Dipper and, by extension, for anything that guides or attracts attention. Because the Little Dipper contains the North Star, sailors steered by it, and "cynosure" became a figure for a guiding light. Over time English writers used it for a person or thing that draws universal attention, so a dog's tail in the sky ended up as the centre of everyone's gaze.

Synonyms: focal point, center of attention, focus