septentrional

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The Word of the Day for February 27 is: 

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."






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