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

The psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, in his pioneering research on the effects of sustained trauma, showed patients the famous Rorschach inkblots test.

From Slate • Jul. 31, 2024

The author, psychiatrist and trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk, said he is heartened by the “quite important and quite revolutionary” growing awareness of trauma and its effects.

From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2022

Weston recommended “The Body Keeps The Score” by Bessel van der Kolk, for an analysis of how trauma impacts the body and the brain.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 17, 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