Ursa Major

noun

Ur·​sa Ma·​jor ˌər-sə-ˈmā-jər 

: a constellation that is the most conspicuous of the northern constellations, is situated near the north pole of the heavens, and contains the stars forming the Big Dipper two of which are in a line indicating the direction of the North Star

called also Great Bear

Examples of Ursa Major in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It can be found in mid-October, passing close to the bright star Psi Ursae Majoris in the constellation Ursa Major, moving towards the brightest stellar body in the constellation Canes Venatici, known as Cor Caroli. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025

But Ursa Major’s Golden Hour Body Serum takes the guesswork out of the equation. —Essence, 30 Sep. 2025

Ursa Major calls Draper a tactical offshoot of its earlier Hadley rocket motor, which has been used in hypersonic test vehicles. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025

Yet, McBride — one of the top instrumentalists and band leaders in all of jazz today — also delivered the goods during his own 75-minute set with his versatile band Ursa Major. —Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin (genitive Ursae Majoris), literally, greater bear

First Known Use

circa 1627, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Ursa Major

• ager
• gauger
• pager
• stager
• wager
• yager
• teenager

Kids Definition

Ursa Major

noun

Ur·​sa Ma·​jor ˌər-sə-ˈmā-jər 

: the northern group of stars that is the easiest to pick out, is located near the north pole of the heavens, and contains the stars forming the Big Dipper two of which are in a line pointing in the direction of the North Star

called also Great Bear