Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Cynosure |
CynosureNoun1. Something that strongly attracts attention (as the north star attracts mariners); "let faith be your cynosure to walk by". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "cynosure" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1615. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Literature | Cynosure (3 syl.). The polar star; the observed of all observers. Greek for dog's tail, and applied to the constellation called Ursa Minor. As seamen guide their ships by the north star, and observe it well, the word "cynosure" is used for whatever attracts attention, as "The cynosure of neighbouring eyes" (Milton), especially for guidance in some doubtful matter, as - "Richmond was the cynosure on which all Northern eyes were fixed [in the American war]." - The Times. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Direction | Noun: direction; management, managery; government, gubernation, conduct, legislation, regulation, guidance; bossism; legislature; steerage, pilotage; reins, reins of government; helm, rudder, needle, compass; guiding star, load star, lode star, pole star; cynosure. |
Indication | Beacon, cairn, post, staff, flagstaff, hand, pointer, vane, cock, weathercock; guidepost, handpost, fingerpost, directing post, signpost; pillars of Hercules, pharos; bale-fire, beacon-fire; l'etoile du Nord; landmark, seamark; lighthouse, balize; polestar, loadstar, lodestar; cynosure, guide; address, direction, name; sign, signboard. |
Repute | Chief; (master); first fiddle; (proficient); cynosure, mirror; flower, pink, pearl; paragon; (perfection); choice and master spirits of the age; elite; star,.sun, constellation, galaxy. ornament, honor, feather in one's cap, halo, aureole, nimbus; halo of glory, blaze of glory, blushing honors; laurels; (trophy). |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Cynosure |
| English words defined with "cynosure": Cynosural. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Cynosure" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Cynosure" is used about 6 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 6 | 143,867 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
cynosure | 23 |
cynosure laser | 6 |
cynosure inc | 4 |
cynosure guild | 3 |
cynosure financial | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "cynosure"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | arusha e vogël (canis minor, the little dipper). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | център на внимание (pole star), малката мечка (dog's tail, minor ursa, the lesser wain, the little dipper), пътеводна звезда (loadstar, lodestar, pole star), полярната звезда. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Anziehungspunkt (attraction). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | κέντρο προσοχήσ (spotlight), κυνοσούρα, μικρή άρκτοσ (little dipper, ursa minor), μικρά άρκτοσ. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | kis göncöl. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | pusat perhatian (focus). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | cinosura. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | cooid gagh hooill. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | ynosurecay cinosura, centro de atração, ursa menor (dog's-tail). (various references) путеводная звезда (lodestar). (various references) zvezda vodilja (loadstar, lodestar, pole star). (various references) blanco de las miradas. (various references) ledstjärna (loadstar, lodestar). (various references) kutupyıldızı (guiding star, loadstar, lodestar, north star, pole star, polestar), küçükayı (lesser bear, little bear, little dipper, ursa minor), ilgi çeken kimse, dikkat çeken şey (eye-catcher, stopper), örnek alınan şey. (various references) мала ведмедиця (lesser wain), порвідна зірка, полярна зоря (lodestar, pole star). (various references) vật l m cho mọi người chú ý, trung tâm của sự chú ý, người l m cho mọi người chú ý. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "cynosure": cynosures. (additional references) | |
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"Cynosure" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Cyneburh, cynique, Cynoque, Cynsige, Konosuke. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| Words rhyming with "cynosure" (pronounced 'Cy"no*sure'): Acupressure, Assure, Brisure, Chaussure, Clausure, Closure, Cocksure, Commissure, Composure, Compressure, Contrafissure, foreclosure, Frisure, high-pressure, inclosure, Licensure, low-pressure, Medicommissure, Miscensure, Morsure, Oppressure, Overpressure, Oversure, Poisure, Postcommissure, Pot-sure, Praecommissure, Rasure, reassure, reinsure, Reposure, scissure, Self-exposure, Supposure, tonsure. (additional references) |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-e-n-o-r-s-u-y" | |
-2 letters: censor, cerous, coneys, cornus, course, crones, crouse, ounces, recons, rouens, senryu, source. | |
-3 letters: ceros, cones, coney, conus, cores, corns, cornu, corny, corse, cosey, coyer, crone, crony, cruse, cures, curns, curse, ecrus, euros, nosey, nurse, onces, onery, ounce, oyers, recon, rouen, roues, rouse, runes, scone, score, scorn, scour, senor, snore, sucre, syren, uncos. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-e-n-o-r-s-u-y" | |
+1 letter: cynosures. | |
+2 letters: counterspy. | |
+3 letters: cancerously, cavernously, countryseat, countryside, courtesying, cryosurgeon, larcenously, scoundrelly. | |
+4 letters: censoriously, countermyths, counterplays, counterploys, counterstyle, countryseats, countrysides, cryosurgeons, exclusionary, granulocytes, indecorously, perniciously. | |
+5 letters: agranulocytes, ceremoniously, commensurably, coterminously, counterstyles, incredulously, psychosurgeon. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Commercial 4. Usage Frequency | 5. Expressions: Internet 6. Translations: Modern 7. Derivations 8. Rhymes | 9. Anagrams 10. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
