- arctic
- late 14c., artik, from O.Fr. artique, from M.L. articus, from L. arcticus, from Gk. arktikos "of the north," lit. "of the (constellation) Bear," from arktos "bear," the Bear being a northerly constellation. From the usual I.E. base for "bear" (cf. Avestan aresho, Armenian arj, Albanian ari, L. ursus, Welsh arth); see bear (n.) for why the name changed in Germanic. The -c- was restored 1550s.