Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun plural Greek Mythology The five daughters of Atlas and sisters of the Pleiades, placed by Zeus among the stars.
  • noun plural A cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus, the five brightest of which form a V, supposed by ancient astronomers to indicate rain when they rose with the sun.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In astronomy, a group of about seven stars, of which the principal is Aldebaran, in the head of the Bull, supposed by the ancients to indicate the approach of rainy weather when they rose with the sun.
  • In entomology, a genus of lepidopterous insects.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Greek mythology) The seven daughters of Atlas and half-sisters of the Pleiades; they nurtured the infant Dionysus and Zeus placed them among the stars as a reward.
  • noun plural (Astron.) A cluster of five stars in the face of the constellation Taurus, supposed by the ancients to indicate the coming of rainy weather when they rose with the sun.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun Greek mythology Daughters of the Titan Atlas and sisters of the Pleiades.
  • proper noun astronomy An open cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus, and the nearest visible such cluster to Earth.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (Greek mythology) 7 daughters of Atlas and half-sisters of the Pleiades; they nurtured the infant Dionysus and Zeus placed them among the stars as a reward

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin, from Greek Huades, probably from hūs, pig; see sū- in Indo-European roots.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Hyades.

Examples

  • The 1919 eclipse was exceptionally long compared to most solar eclipses—more than five minutes—and it was a rare event because late May is the time when the sun passes through the constellation of Taurus crossing what is known as the Hyades, a rich concentration of very bright stars.

    Savage Peace Ann Hagedorn 2007

  • The 1919 eclipse was exceptionally long compared to most solar eclipses—more than five minutes—and it was a rare event because late May is the time when the sun passes through the constellation of Taurus crossing what is known as the Hyades, a rich concentration of very bright stars.

    Savage Peace Ann Hagedorn 2007

  • The 1919 eclipse was exceptionally long compared to most solar eclipses—more than five minutes—and it was a rare event because late May is the time when the sun passes through the constellation of Taurus crossing what is known as the Hyades, a rich concentration of very bright stars.

    Savage Peace Ann Hagedorn 2007

  • A "V" shaped group known as the Hyades is just to the southeast of the Pleiades, in the face of the Bull, forming one of the most beautiful objects in the sky.

    A Field Book of the Stars William Tyler Olcott 1904

  • Pleiades already referred to, and another more scattered group known as the Hyades, which can be discovered near Aldebaran.

    The Story of the Heavens 1876

  • This group of stars called the "Hyades" and ancient stories say these stars are the five daughters of Atlas.

    Astronomy For Kids: Bull Ridin' Taurus | Universe Today 2010

  • In front of him, the beautiful cluster of the Hyades marked the head of Taurus, whose red eye, the fiery Aldebaran, glowed balefully.

    "Cosmic Fever" by Amelia Reynolds Long, part 2 Johnny Pez 2010

  • If you look at the Hyades with binoculars, you'll discover that many of the stars form angular pairs, like a giant domino game in the sky!

    Astronomy For Kids: Bull Ridin' Taurus | Universe Today 2010

  • While in the centre of the shield the sun's bright orb flashed light on the backs of his winged coursers; there too was the heavenly choir of stars, Pleiades and Hyades, to dazzle Hector's eyes and make him flee; and upon his gold-forged helm were sphinxes, bearing in their talons the prey of which the minstrels sing; on his breast-plate was lioness breathing flame, her eye upon Peirene's steed, in eagerness to rend it.

    Electra 2008

  • While in the centre of the shield the sun's bright orb flashed light on the backs of his winged coursers; there too was the heavenly choir of stars, Pleiades and Hyades, to dazzle Hector's eyes and make him flee; and upon his gold-forged helm were sphinxes, bearing in their talons the prey of which the minstrels sing; on his breast-plate was lioness breathing flame, her eye upon Peirene's steed, in eagerness to rend it.

    Electra 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.