The Word of the Day for February 27 is: (a good one!)
septentrional • \sep-TEN-tree-uh-nul\ • adjective
: northern
Example sentence:
My septentrional cousins were impressed by the tall stately palm that grows in our suburban Florida front yard.
Did you know?
What does the word "septentrional" have in common with the month of September and the Big Dipper? The Latin word "septem," meaning "seven," provides the connection. "Septem" is an ancestor of both "septentrional" and "September" (the ninth month now, but in the earliest Roman calendar, the seventh month). We picked up "septentrional" from "septentriones," a Latin word used to refer to the seven principal stars of either of two prominent constellations of the northern sky: Ursa Major (Latin for "Greater Bear") or Ursa Minor ("Lesser Bear")-also known as the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, respectively. "Septentriones" in turn derives from "septem" plus "triones," meaning "plowing oxen."
: northern
Example sentence:
My septentrional cousins were impressed by the tall stately palm that grows in our suburban Florida front yard.
Did you know?
What does the word "septentrional" have in common with the month of September and the Big Dipper? The Latin word "septem," meaning "seven," provides the connection. "Septem" is an ancestor of both "septentrional" and "September" (the ninth month now, but in the earliest Roman calendar, the seventh month). We picked up "septentrional" from "septentriones," a Latin word used to refer to the seven principal stars of either of two prominent constellations of the northern sky: Ursa Major (Latin for "Greater Bear") or Ursa Minor ("Lesser Bear")-also known as the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, respectively. "Septentriones" in turn derives from "septem" plus "triones," meaning "plowing oxen."