How do you use the word "constellation" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "constellation": What's your favorite constellation? The constellation once shone.

Constellation Meaning

/ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/

Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounAn arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an asterism., Any of the 88 regions of the sky officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union, including all stars and celestial bodies in the region.

Sentence Examples

What's your favorite constellation?

The constellation once shone.

One constellation that most people know is the Big Dipper.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

configuration

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

Look at that group of stars forming a beautiful ____ in the sky.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

He pointed his telescope toward the beautiful sky to clearly observe the Orion ____ shining brightly.

Word Origin & History

PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English constellacioun, constillacioun (“(astrology) position of the moon or a planet in relation to the ascendant sign of the zodiac; horoscope; (astronomy) formation of fixed stars, constellation; (astronomy) elevation or position of the sun”) [and other forms], borrowed from Old French constellation (modern French constellation), or directly from its etymon Late Latin cōnstēllātiōnem, the accusative singular of cōnstēllātiō (“collection of stars supposed to exert an influence upon human affairs, constellation”), from Latin con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of several objects) + stēlla (“star; meteor; planet”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (“star”)) + -ātiō (suffix forming nouns).

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"Behold, the day of the Lord commeth, cruell both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land deſolate; and he ſhall deſtroy the ſinners thereof out of it. For the ſtarres of heauen, and the conſtellations thereof ſhall not giue their light: the ſunne ſhalbe darkened in his going forth, and the moone ſhall not cauſe her light to ſhine." — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 13:9–10, column 2:

"Up, up, faire Bride, and call, / Thy ſtarres, from out their ſeverall boxes, take / Thy Rubies, Pearles, and Diamonds forth, and make / Thy ſelfe a conſtellation, of them All." — a. 1631 (date written), J[ohn] Donne, “An Epithalamion, or Mariage Song on the Lady Elizabeth, and Count Palatine being Married on St. Valentines Day”, in Poems, […] with Elegies on the Authors Death, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for Iohn Marriot, […], published 1633, →OCLC, stanza III, page 119:

"Next the cold Bears, (the Cauſe t' himſelf beſt knovvn) / Shines forth a kneeling Conſtellation. / Behind vvhoſe Back Arctophylax appears, / The ſame Boötes call'd, becauſe yoak'd Steers / He ſeeming drives; vvho through the rapid Skies / (Bearing Arcturus in his Boſome) hies." — 1675, Marcus Manilius, translated by Edward Sherburne, The Sphere of Marcus Manilius Made an English Poem: […], London: […] Nathanael Brooke, […], →OCLC, page 25:

"Harpa Georgii, or the Harp of George, is a new constellation introduced on the maps by one of the German astronomers, in honour of the late king of England, George III." — 1824, “Illustrations of the Tenth Plate. Taurus.—Orion.—Gemini.—Canis Minor.—Harpa Georgii.”, in Astronomical Recreations; or Sketches of the Relative Position and Mythological History of the Constellations, Philadelphia, Pa.: Anthony Finley, […], →OCLC, page 73:

"Who can doubt that poetry will revive and lead in a new age, as the star in the constellation Harp, which now flames in our zenith, astronomers announce, shall one day be the pole-star for a thousand years?" — 1837 August 31, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The American Scholar. An Oration Delivered before the Phi Beta Kappa Society, at Cambridge, August 31, 1837.”, in Nature, Addresses, and Lectures (Emerson’s Complete Works; I), Riverside edition, London: The Waverley Book Company, published 1883, →OCLC, page 84:

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