Achernar

A·cher·nar

 (ā′kər-när′)

n.

A star in the constellation Eridanus that is one of the brightest stars in the sky and is 114 light years from Earth.

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[From Arabic 'aḫīr an-nahr, the end of the river (referring to the star's position in the constellation Eridanus) : 'aḫīr, last, end; see ʔḫr in Semitic roots + al-, the + nahr, river; see nhr in Semitic roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Achernar

(ˈeɪkəˌnɑː)

n

(Astronomy) the brightest star in the constellation Eridanus, visible only in the S hemisphere. Visual magnitude: 0.5; spectral type: B3V; distance: 144 light years

[from Arabic ākhīr al-nahr, literally: end of the river, alluding to the star's location in the constellation]

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