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''L'Étoile du Nord'' is a French phrase meaning "The Star of the North". It is the
File:Etoile du Nord Minnesota State Capitol.jpg, The brass and translucent glass eight-pointed star symbolizing Minnesota's motto, "L’Étoile du Nord" (The Star of the North)
File:Rotunda floor of the Minnesota State Capitol showing 8-pointed star.jpg, Rotunda floor showing 8-pointed star symbolizing Minnesota's motto, "L’Étoile du Nord" (The Star of the North)
File:AmCyc Minnesota - seal.jpg, Minnesota's state motto, L'Étoile du Nord, from an 1879 rendering of the state's official seal.
File:Stencil-L Etoile Du Nord-01.jpg, Stencil at the Minnesota State Capitol
File:Mural-The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota.jpg, Mural of the Great Seal of the State of Minnesota in the MN House of Representatives.
File:Railing-L Etoile Du Nord.jpg, Motto on iron railing at the MN Capitol.
''L'Étoile du Nord'' is a French phrase meaning "The Star of the North". It is the motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
of the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, and the only U.S. state motto in French. It was chosen by the state's first governor, Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley (February 20, 1811 – February 18, 1891) was a North American fur trade, fur trader with the American Fur Company, the first United States House of Representatives, U.S. Congressional representative for Minnesota Territor ...
, and was adopted in 1861, three years after admission of Minnesota to the union. The land that became Minnesota was the northernmost section in the Northwest Territory, and Minnesota is the northernmost state in the contiguous United States. Because of this motto, one of Minnesota's nicknames is ''The North Star State''. The Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
ice hockey team chose the English translation for their name.
In the northern hemisphere, the North Star ( Polaris) is a part of the tip of the handle and the brightest star of the constellation Ursa Minor (known also as Little Bear and as the Little Dipper). Ursa Minor has traditionally been important for navigation, because of Polaris being the star that is closest to the North Celestial Pole.
See also
*List of place names of French origin in the United States
Several thousand place names in the United States have names of French origin, some a legacy of past French exploration and rule over much of the land and some in honor of French help during the American Revolution and the founding of the country ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Etoile du Nord, L' French words and phrases State mottos of the United States Symbols of Minnesota 1861 establishments in Minnesota