Betelgeuse

or Be·tel·geux

[ beet-l-jooz, bet-l-jœz ]

/ ˈbit lˌdʒuz, ˈbɛt lˌdʒœz /

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noun Astronomy.

a first-magnitude red supergiant in the constellation Orion.

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Origin of Betelgeuse

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

Words nearby Betelgeuse

betatopic, betatron, beta version, betazole, betel, Betelgeuse, betel nut, betel palm, bête noire, beth, bethanechol

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Betelgeuse in a sentence

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.
Amid winter’s darkness, flashes of brilliance|Nancy Shute|November 29, 2020|Science News
Betelgeuse is still with us, having returned to its former brightness earlier this year.
Amid winter’s darkness, flashes of brilliance|Nancy Shute|November 29, 2020|Science News
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.
Betelgeuse went dark, but didn’t go supernova. What happened?|Lisa Grossman|November 29, 2020|Science News
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 went dark, but didn’t go supernova. What happened?|Lisa Grossman|November 29, 2020|Science News

Betelgeuse’s brightness varies, even under normal circumstances.
Betelgeuse went dark, but didn’t go supernova. What happened?|Lisa Grossman|November 29, 2020|Science News
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

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

Word Origin for Betelgeuse

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

[ bēt′l-jōōz′ ]

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.