Arctic And Antarctic Reference Bears

The names "Arctic" and "Antarctic" can effectively be translated as "bear" and "opposite the bear," but their origins lie in the sky rather than the regions' wildlife. "Arctic" comes from the Greek word arktos, meaning "bear," through arktikos, meaning "of the bear" or "of the north," and it refers to the constellation Ursa Major in the northern sky. Antarctic combines ant-, meaning "opposite," with arktikos, so it means "opposite the Arctic" rather than literally "without bears." By coincidence, the distinction also fits the animals: polar bears live in the Arctic, while no bears are native to Antarctica.

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