Emily Dickinson Lexicon

Pleiad (-s, -'s), proper n. [L. Plēïas < Gk.] (webplay: astronomy, sail, stars, time).

1. Faint star; member of the open cluster in the Taurus constellation; one of the “Seven Sisters” not visible to the naked eye; [mythology] Electra; lost seventh daughter of Atlas and Pleione in Greek mythology; [fig.] departed spirit; deceased loved one; beloved person who is missing.
2. Guiding star; point of reference; reliable means of orientation at sea; heavenly body used to calculate locations on earth; celestial object used by sailors for navigation; natural sign whose rising indicates the time for safe sailing; [fig.] goal; prize; that for which one is striving; star personified.