The Greek word for a bear is arktos; the Greek suffix –ikos means 'of', 'pertaining to', or 'in the manner of'.
The name refers to the fact that the constellation known as the Great Bear appears in the northern sky – the Arctic is the region "of the (Great) Bear".
Note however that the Antarctic also gets its name indirectly by the same means (the Greek prefix ant- meaning an opposite).
© Haydn Thompson 2021