something that provides guidance (as Polaris guides mariners)
<noun.communication> let faith be your cynosure to walk by
something that strongly attracts attention and admiration
<noun.cognition> if he was the cynosure of all eyes he didn't notice
Cynosure \Cy"no*sure\ (s?"n?-sh?r or s?n"?-sh?r; 277), n. [L. Cynosura theconstellation Cynosure, Gr. ????? dog's tail, the constellation Cynosure; ????, ????, dog + o'yra` tail. See{Cynic}.] 1. The constellation of the Lesser Bear (Ursa Minor), to which, as containing the polar star, the eyes of mariners and travelers were often directed.
2. That which serves to direct. --Southey.
3. Anything to which attention is strongly turned; a center of attraction.
Where perhaps some beauty lies, The cynosure of neighboring eyes. --Milton.
Having read the article, I pondered the fact that the Greek word for dog is the root of "cynosure" and "cynicism." Henry J. Ricardo Tappan, N.Y.