North Star

English

Etymology

From Middle English north sterre, norþ sterre, equivalent to north + star.

Proper noun

North Star

  1. (astronomy) A star positioned circumpolar to the North Pole.
    Synonyms: Polaris, Pole Star, pole star
  2. A village in New South Wales, Australia.
  3. A hamlet in the County of Northern Lights, Alberta, Canada.
  4. An unincorporated community in Yuba County, California, formerly North Star House.
  5. A census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware.
  6. An unincorporated community in Nicollet County, Minnesota.
  7. A village in Darke County, Ohio.
  8. An unincorporated community in Portage County, Wisconsin.
  9. A number of townships in the United States, listed under North Star Township.
  10. A settlement on the island of Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

North Star (plural North Stars)

  1. (figurative) An aim or a goal, a dependable guiding light in a quickly changing world.
    • 2012, Darrin Grinder, Steve Shaw, The Presidents & Their Faith:
      For Wilson, his religion served as guiding principle, not a series of explicit religious dictates governing politics: “Wilson's principles, derived from his religious faith, were his North Star, which pointed him in a general direction.
    • 2018, Frank M. Guttman, Honoré Beaugrand: a Traditional “Rouge”?:
      His North Star was Rome, his compass was the Holy Office, “My polar star is Rome; my compass is the Holy Office.”
    • 2019, Karen A. McClintock, When Trauma Wounds: Pathways to Healing and Hope, page 155:
      Believing that he would return to life when he was ready, she became his North Star.
    • 2021, Ashley Stahl, You Turn, page 272:
      The wise voice in my head agreed with her and told me something I'd never forget: Stop going against yourself. Be you. All the way. And watch life work for you. This voice, my intuition, has become my North Star in life.

Derived terms

Further reading

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.