cynosure
noun·/ˈsaɪ.nə.ʃʊr/
1. A person or thing that draws all attention; the center toward which eyes and talk naturally turn (literary). A cynosure need not be famous, only magnetic.
At the crowded table she became the cynosure, not by performing, but by listening so well everyone wanted her regard.
2. A guiding star; specifically, the constellation or star in Ursa Minor associated with the Pole Star (historical; poetic).
Sailors once took the cynosure as their quiet assurance that north could be trusted.
Etymology
From Greek kynosoura “dog’s tail” (kyōn “dog” + oura “tail”), a name applied to the “Little Bear” constellation. The leap from dog-tail to lodestar is a reminder of how navigation becomes metaphor: what guides the ship soon guides the gaze.
Related Words
lodestara guiding star; the closest poetic sibling
polestarthe navigational referent often implied
focal pointthe neutral modern equivalent
magnetismthe figurative force cynosure suggests