Canes Venatici Definition

kānēz vĭ-nătĭ-sī

noun

A N constellation between Ursa Major and Boötes.

Webster's New World

pronoun

(astronomy) A dim spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a pair of hunting dogs (Chara and Asterion) held on a leash by Boötes and following the bear Ursa Major.

Wiktionary

Origin of Canes Venatici

Latin Canēs Vēnāticī canēs pl. of canis dog vēnāticī pl. of vēnāticus hunting

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Named by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687. From Latin canes venatici (literally: "dogs of hunting").

From Wiktionary