Latin ursus, Greek arktos. Greeks
Ursa Minor (Latin : Smaller She-Bear, contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the northern sky. Like the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, hence the name Little Dipper. Ursa Minor has traditionally been important for navigation, particularly by mariners, due to Polaris being the North Star. Polaris, the brightest star in the constellation, is a yellow-white supergiant and the brightest Cepheid variable star in the night sky, ranging from apparent magnitude 1.97 to 2.00. Answers. Best Answer: Polaris ultimately comes from the Latin meaning 'pole' because its relatively fixed position in the sky (today, we say that Polaris, the North Star, is at the Celestial North Pole). Ursa Major comes ultimatley from Latin 'Great Bear', with ursa being 'bear' and major meaning 'large/great'. The constellation has a star formation believed to look like a large bear. Source(s): Latin class. themayorbynight · 10 years ago Aristotle (according to Olcott, p.348) held that the name (Ursa) was derived from the fact that of all known animals the bear was thought to be the only one that dared to venture into the frozen regions of the north and tempt the solitude and cold. Helice representing Ursa Major, and Melissa (honey or honey bee), or Cynosura, representing Ursa Minor, were the nurses of the baby Zeus. The Latin name Helice and its Greek cognates seems to have been the most common title for this constellation with both Greeks and Romans. Meaning & History. Means little bear, derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word ursa she-bear. Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.  The Ursa of Ursa Major is from the Indo-European root *rtko, 'Bear'. Derivatives: arctic (meaning north from Latin arcticus, from Greek arktikos), ursine (bear-like), from Latin ursus, Greek arktos. [Pokorny rktho-s 875. Watkins ]. The names Ursula and Orson, are related. Helice representing Ursa Major, and Melissa (honey or honey bee), or Cynosura, representing Ursa Minor, were the nurses of the baby Zeus. The Latin name Helice and its Greek cognates seems to have been the most common title for this constellation with both Greeks and Romans. Mythology. Often known as either the little dipper or little bear there are many legends connected with this constellation and the pole star, Polaris. Indeed the name Ursa Minor does mean the lesser bear, but not every culture saw it as such.  Ursa Major /ˈɜrsə ˈmeɪdʒər/ (also known as the Great Bear and Charles' Wain) is a constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere. One of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy (second century AD), it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. In Burmese, Pucwan Tārā (pronounced bazun taja) is the name of a constellation comprising stars from the head and forelegs of Ursa Major; pucwan is a general term for a crustacean, such as prawn, shrimp, crab, lobster, etc. Best Answer: Polaris ultimately comes from the Latin meaning 'pole' because its relatively fixed position in the sky (today, we say that Polaris, the North Star, is at the Celestial North Pole). Ursa Major comes ultimatley from Latin 'Great Bear', with ursa being 'bear' and major meaning 'large/great'. Making the world better, one answer at a time. Ursa Major means Big Bear Ursa means Bear, and Major means large. Ursa Minor means Ursa as in Bear and minor as in small. These names either came from the Greeks. In the U.S.A., Ursa Minor and Ursa Major are Little Dipper and Big Dipper. The Greeks looked at the two and said, Those stars look like a little bear and a big bear. That's how Ursa Major and Ursa Minor got there name.  Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper, is a small constellation in the northern hemisphere. In Latin, its name means little bear.. The constellation was originally listed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Ursa Minor is usually depicted as a small bear with a long tail. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_Minor https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006012618566 http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/UrsaMajor.html http://www.behindthename.com/name/ursula http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/UrsaMajor.html http://starryskies.com/The_sky/constellations/ursa_minor.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_Major https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006012618566 http://www.answers.com/Q/How_did_Ursa_Major_get_its_name_and_whats_does_it_mean http://topastronomer.com/StarCharts/Constellations/Ursa-Minor.php
where does the name ursa come from