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Betelgeuse

or Be·tel·geux

[ beet-l-jooz, bet-l-jœz ]

noun

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


Betelgeuse

/ 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
“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


Betelgeuse

/ bētl-jo̅o̅z′ /

  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.
  2. See Note at Rigel


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Word History and Origins

Origin of Betelgeuse1

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

Origin of Betelgeuse1

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

Betelgeuse is still with us, having returned to its former brightness earlier this year.

Wintertime means Orion has returned to the evening sky in the Northern Hemisphere, and it comforts me to see Betelgeuse glowing on Orion’s shoulder.

Estimates for Betelgeuse’s vital statistics vary, but if it sat at the center of our solar system, the star would fill much of the space between the sun and Jupiter.

Betelgeuse’s brightness varies, even under normal circumstances.

At about 15 to 20 times as massive as the sun, somewhere between 750 and 1,000 times its diameter and just about 550 light-years from Earth, Betelgeuse is typically between the sixth- and seventh-brightest star in the sky.

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

He had known Betelgeuse years ago and personally had always preferred its neighbour Rigel, which had received no publicity at all.

Rigel belongs to a new generation of the universe; Betelgeuse to the universe that is passing.

And he estimated Betelgeuse to be two hundred and sixty million miles in diameter.

The reddish daylight swelled; Betelgeuse was rising quietly and majestically.

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