stellae

Stellae is the Latin plural form of stella, meaning stars. It is encountered primarily in Latin-language sources and in translations of classical texts. In English writing, the word appears mainly when Latin phrases are preserved verbatim or cited, rather than as a standard term for celestial objects. Outside of quotations, modern English usage generally renders stellae as “stars.”

Beyond its astronomical sense, the form also appears in historical or scholarly contexts where Latin descriptions or classifications are retained. In such cases, stellae may denote multiple star-like elements described in a Latin passage, rather than functioning as an independent English term.

In scientific nomenclature, the root stella has influenced a number of modern terms (for example, stellate, stellar, stelliform) that describe star-shaped forms or relations to stars. The plural stellae itself is not commonly used in contemporary English technical writing, where translations or anglicized descriptors are preferred. Nevertheless, the Latin form remains relevant in the study of historical texts, epigraphy, and fields that preserve Latin terminology in their conventions.

Etymologically, stellae derives from stella, meaning star, with the standard Latin plural ending -ae. The term thus sits at the intersection of classical language and modern scientific vocabulary, primarily as a historical or referential form rather than a productive English term. See also stella, stellate, stellar.