Bessel

American  

[bes-uhl] / ˈbɛs əl /

noun

1. Friedrich Wilhelm 1784–1846, German astronomer.

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Bessel British  

/ ˈbɛsəl /

noun

1. Friedrich Wilhelm (ˈfriːdrɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm). 1784–1846, German astronomer and mathematician. He made the first authenticated measurement of a star's distance (1841) and systematized a series of mathematical functions used in physics

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Example Sentences

“Keeping Score” is inspired by Bessel van der Kolk’s book, “The Body Keeps the Score,” which details how trauma manifests in the body through illness.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

Talking about trauma has value, but it does not release it; as trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk noted in the title of his bestselling book, "the body keeps the score."

From Salon • Jul. 5, 2021

“They’re meant to be moments of pause, moments of understanding,” said Rich Bessel, head of design at Robinhood.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2021

Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer for Banner Health, Arizona’s largest health system, said the Jan. 11 peak, even if lower than expected, left hospital workers toiling in crowded conditions under enormous stress.

From Washington Post • Jan. 23, 2021

Similarly, Wilhelm Friedrich Bessel predicted the existence of Neptune on the basis of anomalies in the orbit of Uranus.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton