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

Betelgeuse

/ bēt′l-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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Betelgeuse¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Betelgeuse¹

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

Example Sentences

Set more than three decades after the original Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz is now a mother struggling to keep her family together when Betelgeuse returns to haunt her.

From BBC

The radiant for the Orionids is in the constellation of Orion which rises in the east after midnight, just to the north of its red-tinged star Betelgeuse.

From BBC

The star is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant in the constellation Orion.

From Seattle Times

One of the closest candidates of this size is the red supergiant Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion, located at a safe distance of about 150 parsecs from our solar system.

From Science Daily

Orion boasts two first-magnitude stars, with Betelgeuse marking the shoulder to the viewer’s left and Rigel his foot on the right.

From National Geographic