morning star (plural morning stars)

1. The planet Venus as observed in the eastern sky around dawn#Noun|dawn.

   Synonyms: Phosphorus

   Antonyms: evening star, Hesperus

   The evening star is the morning star. (Hesperus is Phosphorus.)

   • 1847, Alfred Tennyson, The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 2024748 ↗, part III, page 47 ↗:

     Morn in the white wake of the morning star / Came furrowing all the orient into gold.

   • 1979, Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, “The Rainbow Connection”, The Muppet Movie, Henson Associates and ITC Entertainment

     Who said that every wish would be heard and answered / When wished on the morning star? / Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it / And look what it's done so far.

2. (biblical) Lucifer, Satan, the devil.
   • Bible (New International Version), Isaiah 14:12:

     How you have fallen from heaven,

     morning star, son of the dawn!

     You have been cast down to the earth,

     you who once laid low the nations!

3. (less commonly) The planet Mercury as observed in the eastern sky around dawn.

   Synonyms: Apollo

   Antonyms: evening star, Hermes

4. (military) A weapon consisting of a heavy ball#Noun|ball set with spike#Noun|spikes attached rigidly to a staff, in contrast to a flail.

   Synonyms: holy water sprinkler, morgenstern

   • 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 55:

     Contrivances like these, except that the balls were armed with spikes, were long carried by the pioneers of the trained bands, or city militia, they are generally called morning stars.

• French: étoile du matin
• German: Morgenstern
• Italian: stella del mattino, lucifero
• Portuguese: estrela d'alva
• Russian: у́тренняя звезда́
• Spanish: lucero del alba, estrella del alba, lucífero

• German: Morgenstern
• Italian: mazza ferrata, stella del mattino
• Portuguese: maça de espinhos
• Russian: моргенште́рн
• Spanish: lucero del alba

1. The planet Venus as seen in the eastern sky around dawn.

   The evening star is the morning star.

   • 1979, Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, “The Rainbow Connection”, The Muppet Movie, Henson Associates and ITC Entertainment

     Who said that every wish would be heard and answered / When wished on the morning star? / Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it / And look what it's done so far.

2. (biblical) Jesus Christ.
   • Bible (New International Version), Revelation 22:16:

     “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you a this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

• (planet Venus as seen around dawn) Phosphor, Phosphorus

• (spiked weapon on staff) truncheon, mace, holy water sprinkler

• French: étoile du matin
• German: Morgenstern
• Italian: stella del mattino
• Portuguese: Estrela d'Alva
• Russian: у́тренняя звезда́
• Spanish: lucero del alba, estrella del alba