Canicular is an adjective describing the hot weather period between early July and early September, also known as the 'dog days.' It comes from the Latin word for 'small dog,' referencing the star Sirius.
Canicular is an adjective related to the 'dog days' of summer, a period of hot weather. It derives from the Latin word 'canicula,' meaning 'small dog,' which was also the name of the star Sirius.
| Word | canicular |
|---|---|
| Date | July 2, 2018 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | kuh-NIK-yuh-ler |
| Etymology | The Latin word canicula, meaning "small dog," is the diminutive form of canis, source of the English word canine. Canicula was also the name for Sirius, the star that represents the hound of the hunter Orion in the constellation named for that Roman mythological figure. Because the first visible rising of Sirius occurs during the summer, the hot sultry days that occur from early July to early September came to be called dies caniculares, or as we know them in English, "the dog days." |
| Examples | On weekend days in the canicular season, the wait at the town's only ice cream shop was often 20 people deep. "Maggie had from her window, seen her stepmother leave the house—at so unlikely an hour, three o'clock of a canicular August…. It was the hottest day of the season…." — Henry James, The Golden Bowl, 1904 |
| Definition | : of or relating to the period between early July and early September when hot weather occurs in the northern hemisphere |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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