ophiuchus

noun, genitive Oph·i·u·chi [of-ee-yoo-kahy, oh-fee-] /ˌɒf iˈyu kaɪ, ˌoʊ fi-/. Astronomy.

1. the Serpent Bearer, a constellation on the celestial equator between Libra and Aquila.

noun Latin genitive Ophiuchi (ɒˈfjuːkaɪ)

1. a large constellation lying on the celestial equator between Hercules and Scorpius and containing the dark nebula, Ophiuchus Nebula

constellation (representing Aesculapius), 1650s, from Latin, from Greek ophioukhos, literally “holding a serpent,” from ophis “serpent” (see ophio-) + stem of ekhein “to hold, have, keep” (see scheme (n.)). The constellation is equatorial, and Milton’s “Ophiuchus huge in th’ Arctick Sky” (“Paradise Lost”) is a rare lapse for a poet who generally knew his astronomy.