Charles's Wain
Preserved but no longer current.
An old popular name for the Great Bear (see BEAR). The constellation forms the rough outline of a wheelbarrow or rustic wagon, and the "Charles" stands for "Charlemagne," possibly owing to the simi- larity of the names Arcturus (see ARCTIC) and Arturus (Lat. for Arthur), and the confusion in the popular mind between the legendary cycles of romance connected with King Arthur and Charlemagne respectively.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Charles's Wain” mean?
An old popular name for the Great Bear (see BEAR). The constellation forms the rough outline of a wheelbarrow or rustic wagon, and the "Charles" stands for "Charlemagne," possibly owing to the simi- larity of the names Arcturus (see ARCTIC) and Arturus (Lat. for Arthur), and the confusion in the popular mind between the legendary cycles of romance connected with King Arthur and Charlemagne respectively.
Is “Charles's Wain” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.