Betelgeuse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A red supergiant star located in the constellation Orion, known for its brightness and size
2. It is one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye from Earth in the night sky
3. Frequently studied in astrophysics for its potential supernova status and unique characteristics

Etymology: Few star names have been garbled as thoroughly as this one. The Arabic original was "yad al-jawzāʔ," meaning "hand of the central one," and "the central one" referred to Orion. Early on, "jawzāʔ" had described Gemini, but the name was later transferred to Orion's constellation. The word then passed into Medieval Latin, where a copyist's misreading changed its first letter. In Arabic script, "yā’" carries two dots beneath it and "bā’" carries one, and the two were confused in transliteration, so "Yedalgeuze" became "Bedalgeuze." The Renaissance then produced a second error. Scholars, not recognising the Latinised form, decided it must be a corruption of "ʔibṭ al-jawzāʔ," meaning "armpit of the central one." The word thus acquired an armpit where it had once had a hand, and the modern spelling reflects that later misreading in its ending, not the original Arabic.