Usage: "Dubhe" is primarily used as a name. Its central meaning — a multiple star in the constellation of ursa major and part of the plough; alpha (α) ursae majoris — makes it most effective in contexts where precision matters over a more general alternative.
Origin: From the Arabic phrase اَلْظَهْرُ اَلْدُبِّ اَلْأَكْبَر (al-ẓahru l-dubbi l-ʔakbar, “the back of the great bear [i.e. Ursa Major]”), from ظَهْر (ẓahr, “back”) + دُبّ (dubb, “bear”) + أَكْبَر (ʔakbar, “great”).
Watch out: Writers sometimes confuse "dubhe" with "although" or "bearish" — the words overlap in meaning but differ in nuance or register. Use "dubhe" when you specifically mean its core sense rather than defaulting to it as a generic substitute.
Source note:
This entry is assembled from open lexical datasets and WordToolSet editorial checks.
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Last reviewed May 2026.
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