septentrion

[prettygoodword]

septentrion (sep-TEM-tree-uhn) - n., (obs.) the northern regions, the North.


This one has been around since the late 1300s, originally as Septemtrio(u)n, adopted from Latin septentriō/septentriōnem, the northern regions, from septemtriōnēs/septentriōnēs, the seven stars of Ursa Major, from septem, seven + triōnēs, plowing oxen.

---L.

Comments

[thistleingrey]

"Late," hmm--IIRC it's slightly earlier, straight-up midcentury. (Sticks in one's head when it's from MSS one's seen and written about, not only a passing ref in a book, since this is from 10+ years ago.) Interesting regardless for the implication that the term wasn't used much before production of those particular MSS, which leads me to wonder what people did before Matthew Paris.

[prettygoodword]

Probably just muddled along.