Name and Etymology
- The name Merak is derived from the Arabic المراق al-maraqq "the loins" (of the bear).
- This star as Pulaha, one of the Seven Rishis.
- In Chinese, 北斗 (Běi Dǒu), meaning Northern Dipper, refers to an asterism consisting of β Ursae Majoris, α Ursae Majoris, γ Ursae Majoris, δ Ursae Majoris, ε Ursae Majoris, ζ Ursae Majoris and η Ursae Majoris. Consequently, β Ursae Majoris itself is known as 北斗二 (Běi Dǒu èr, English: the Second Star of Northern Dipper) and 天璇 (Tiān Xuán, English: Star of Celestial Rotating Jade).
Read more about this topic: Beta 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)
“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)