zodiac
the twelve sun signs
Today this word meansThe twelve constellations along the sun's year-long path across the sky.
Greek zōidiakos kyklos — the "circle of little animals." The root zōion (animal) makes it kin to zoo.
Of the twelve, only Libra is not a living thing. The name mostly earns its keep.
The Greek myths draped over the signs are mostly later additions — many of the shapes and names came to Greece from Babylonia.
Worth noting
Because of precession, the dates the sun actually crosses each constellation now lag the astrological calendar by nearly a month.