cynosure
/ˈsʌɪnəʃʊə/ /ˈsɪnəʃʊə/ /ˈsʌɪnəzjʊə/ /ˈsɪnəzjʊə
/noun [in singular]
A person or thing that is the centre of attention or admiration: Kirk was the cynosure of all eyes...
- But then Canary Wharf is not yet, despite the much bruited movement eastward of London's core, a Saturday-night cynosure.
- The postman, aware that he was the cynosure of all eyes, would strut to the centre of the village and call out names of those whose letters he had brought.
- In a district where the focus is on religious tourism, with the pilgrims visiting the other places sights incidentally, the Godavari has hardly been made the cynosure it deserves to be.
Origin
Late 16th century: from French, or from Latin cynosura, from Greek kunosoura 'dog's tail' (also 'Ursa Minor'), from kuōn, kun- 'dog' + oura 'tail'. The term originally denoted the constellation Ursa Minor, or the pole star which it contains, long used as a guide by navigators.