a large constellation (the Serpent Bearer or Holder), said to represent a man in the coils of a snake. Both the celestial equator and the ecliptic pass through it, but it is not counted among the signs of the zodiac.
(as genitive Ophiuchi /ˌäf(ē)ˈyo͞okī, ˌōf(ē)-/) used with a preceding letter or numeral to designate a star in this constellation:the star Eta Ophiuchi
