Betelgeuse

or Be·tel·geux

[beet-l-jooz, bet-l-jœz]

noun Astronomy.

a first-magnitude red supergiant in the constellation Orion.

Origin of Betelgeuse

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for betelgeuse

Historical Examples of betelgeuse

The reddish daylight swelled; Betelgeuse was rising quietly and majestically.
Tony and the Beetles
Philip K. Dick
Cunningham looked alternately from her to Betelgeuse and the moon.
The Burglars' Club
Henry A. Hering
It is doubtful if Betelgeuse had ever looked down upon a quainter.
The Burglars' Club
Henry A. Hering
Off to one side Betelgeuse was a baleful red eye in the shoulder of Orion.
First on the Moon
Jeff Sutton
And, to my eye at least, Betelgeuse is redder than Arcturus.
Astronomical Curiosities
J. Ellard Gore

British Dictionary definitions for betelgeuse

Betelgeuse

Betelgeux

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

Word Origin and History for betelgeuse

Betelgeuse

bright star in the shoulder of Orion, 1515, from Arabic Ibt al Jauzah "the Armpit of the Central One." Intermediary forms include Bed Elgueze, Beit Algueze.

betelgeuse in Science

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.