An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A prominent → open cluster in the constellation → Taurus, popularly called the Seven Sisters. It is a very young cluster of several hundred stars (with spectral types B6 and later), spanning over 1.5 degrees on the sky and about 400 → light-years distant. Six members of the cluster are visible to the → naked eye, the brightest one being → Alcyone. The cluster contains extensive nebulosity, consisting of dust clouds that reflect the light of the → embedded stars. Other designations: M45, NGC 1432.

Etymology (EN): In Gk. mythology, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, transformed by Zeus into seven stars, from L., from Gk. Pleiades, perhaps literally “constellation of the doves,” from a shortened form of peleiades, plural of peleias “dove,” from PIE base *pel- “dark-colored, gray.”

Etymology (PE): Parvin, variants Parv, Parvé, Paran, Parand, Parviz, Kurd. Pêrû, Pashtu Pêrûne, Baluchi Panvar; Mid.Pers. Parwiz. According to Bartholomae, it originates from
Av. Paoiryaēini-, the first component paoirya- denoting “first.” Alternatively, the first element in Parvin may be related to Av. parav-, pauru-, pouru- “full, much, many”
(Mod.Pers. por “full, much, very;” Mid.Pers. purr “full;” O.Pers. paru- “much, many,”
from par- “to fill;” PIE base *pelu- “full,” from *pel- “to be full;” cf. Skt. puru- “much, abundant;” Gk. polus “many,” plethos “great number, multitude;” O.E. full), denoting “many, numerous,” because the object contains several stars.