Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A bright-red intrinsic variable star, 527 light years from Earth, in the constellation Orion.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun astronomy A bright-red supergiant intrinsic variable star, the second brightest star in the constellation Orion; Alpha (α) Orionis. It is the tenth brightest star in the nighttime, and one of the largest stars known.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the second brightest star in Orion

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French Bételgeuse, ultimately from Arabic yad al-jawzā’ : yad, hand; see yd in Semitic roots + al-, the + jawzā’, Gemini (later also used for Orion) (perhaps from jawz, middle (Gemini perhaps originally being so called because it crossed the middle of the sky, and Orion later being so called because of the three bright stars in the middle of the constellation, forming Orion's belt) , from jāza, to pass through; see gwz in Semitic roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Ultimately from an alteration of the Arabic يد الجوزا yad al-jawzā ‘hand of the central one’, from يد ‘hand’ + جوزا ‘central one’.

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Examples

  • The name Betelgeuse is from the Arabic Ibt al Jauzah, or Armpit of the Central One, via a long line of intermediate names.

    Intelligent Design offers biblical alternative to Darwinian evolution, Dembski says - The Panda's Thumb 2006

  • The name Betelgeuse itself is a corruption of the Arabic يد الجوزاء yad al-jawzā ( "hand of the central one").

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] JacobB 2010

  • I don’t recall ever learning that the name Betelgeuse came from the Arabic bayt al jauza, meaning “in the house of the twins,” referring to the Heavenly Twins, Castor and Pollux, hanging out right above Orion.

    2004 January 08 « Far Outliers 2004

  • I don’t recall ever learning that the name Betelgeuse came from the Arabic bayt al jauza, meaning “in the house of the twins,” referring to the Heavenly Twins, Castor and Pollux, hanging out right above Orion.

    Arab Influence on the Italian Renaissance « Far Outliers 2004

  • The red giant stage like Betelgeuse is short'then bang. "

    Ensign Flandry Anderson, Poul, 1926- 1966

  • Other prominent reddish-orange stars include Antares whose name means "rival of Mars", which shines brightest on July and August evenings, and Betelgeuse, which is found in the constellation Orion and lights up the winter sky, according to StarDate.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • Betelgeuse, which is a red supergiant and the ninth brightest star in the sky.

    ScienceBlogs Channel : Life Science 2010

  • Betelgeuse, which is a red supergiant and the ninth brightest star in the sky.

    ScienceBlogs Channel : Life Science 2010

  • The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) observed Saturn atmosphere occultations of the stars alpha Orionis, alpha Canis Majoris, and alpha Canis Minoris, otherwise known as Betelgeuse, Sirius, and Procyon.

    SpaceRef Top Stories 2010

  • Once above atmosphere, it would take sights on beacons such as Betelgeuse and lay a course to Irumclaw.

    A Circus of Hells Anderson, Poul, 1926- 1969

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