Brewer's: Charles's Wain

The constellation called the Great Bear, which forms the outline of a wheelbarrow or rustic wagon. “Charles” is a corruption of the word churles, the farmer's wagon. (Anglo-Saxon, ceorles wan.)

Sometimes still further corrupted into “King Charles's wain.”

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language