Berenice

/bəˈrisə/ noun

Definition

A proper name, often referring to Berenice II of Egypt or Berenice's Hair, a faint constellation named after an ancient Egyptian queen.

Etymology

From Greek 'Berenikē,' derived from Macedonian origins. It became associated with the constellation Coma Berenices when the Roman poet Callimachus wrote a poem about Queen Berenice II cutting her hair as a sacrifice for her husband's safe return.

Kelly Says

Berenice's Hair is one of the few constellations named after a real historical person—Queen Berenice II of Egypt around 250 BCE—and Callimachus's poem about her was so famous that her hair literally became immortalized in the sky!

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