Betelgeuse

or Be·tel·geux

[ beet-l-jooz, bet-l-jœz ]

nounAstronomy.
  1. a first-magnitude red supergiant in the constellation Orion.

Origin of Betelgeuse

1
1790–1800; <French <Arabic bīt al jauzāʾ shoulder of the giant (i.e., of Orion)

Words Nearby Betelgeuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Betelgeuse in a sentence

  • Overhead, Betelgeuse was making the most of its recent publicity, unobstructed by vagrant clouds.

    Tutors' Lane | Wilmarth Lewis
  • He had known Betelgeuse years ago and personally had always preferred its neighbour Rigel, which had received no publicity at all.

    Tutors' Lane | Wilmarth Lewis
  • Rigel belongs to a new generation of the universe; Betelgeuse to the universe that is passing.

    Astronomy with an Opera-glass | Garrett Putman Serviss
  • And he estimated Betelgeuse to be two hundred and sixty million miles in diameter.

    The Prairie Child | Arthur Stringer
  • The reddish daylight swelled; Betelgeuse was rising quietly and majestically.

    Tony and the Beetles | Philip K. Dick

British Dictionary definitions for Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse

Betelgeux

/ (ˌbiːtəlˈdʒɜːz, ˈbiːtəlˌdʒɜːz) /


noun
  1. a very remote luminous red supergiant, Alpha Orionis: the second brightest star in the constellation Orion. It is a variable star

Origin of Betelgeuse

1
C18: from French, from Arabic bīt al-jauzā' literally: shoulder of the giant, that is, of Orion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse

[ bētl-jōōz′ ]


  1. A red supergiant star in the constellation Orion. It is a variable star with a brightest apparent magnitude of 0.5. Scientific name: Alpha Orionis. See Note at Rigel.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.