Betelgeuse
Americannoun
noun
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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.
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See Note at Rigel
Etymology
Origin of Betelgeuse
1790–1800; < French < Arabic bīt al jauzāʾ shoulder of the giant (i.e., of Orion)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This detection resolves one of the most enduring puzzles surrounding Betelgeuse.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 10, 2026
From Earth's perspective, Betelgeuse is currently eclipsing its companion star.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 10, 2026
In 2019 and 2020, Betelgeuse began to grow dimmer and dimmer in brightness, so much that astronomers called this event, the ‘Great Dimming.’
From Space Scoop ● Aug. 20, 2025
The radiant for the Orionids is in the constellation of Orion which rises in the east after midnight, just to the north of its red-tinged star Betelgeuse.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2024
The nearest likely candidate he added, is Betelgeuse, whose various sputterings have for years suggested that something interestingly unstable is going on there.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
