canicular days en · NOUN
Etymology
Calque of Latin diēs caniculārēs (literally “puppy days”), from Canīcula (“the Puppy”), a semantic loan of Ancient Greek Κῠ́ων (Kŭ́ōn, “the Dog”) in reference to Sirius, which appears in Epic Greek as κῠ́ων Ὠρίωνος (kŭ́ōn Ōríōnos, literally “Orion’s dog”) in its elided accusative form κύν’ Ὠρίωνος (kún’ Ōríōnos) in Iliad XXII.29.
Meanings
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(archaic, plural, plural-only) Synonym of dog days.
A forlyued cok leiþ eiren in his laste elde... and ȝif any venemous worme sittiþ on broode þerevppon in þe canyculer dayes, þerof is igendrid... a cocatrice.
a. 1398, John Trevisa, transl. Bartholomeus Anglicus as De Proprietatibus Rerum (MS BL Add. 27944), Vol. I, p. 628