[Loud Mime]

Betelgeuse is BIG. If placed in our solar system it would be as large as Mars’ orbit around the Sun. Think about that for a minute...

I heard that Betelgeuse was the arabic word for Armpit, as the star is the armpit of Orion. Anybody know if that is true?

[djf]

I always hear about the marvelous mathematics and sciences of the ancient Arabs.

They discovered armpits?

It figures.

The world is starting to make scents...

[KarlInOhio]

I heard that Betelgeuse was the arabic word for Armpit, as the star is the armpit of Orion. Anybody know if that is true?

From the Online Etymology Dictionary

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.

[Red Badger]

Etymology The last part of the name, "-elgeuse", comes from the Arabic الجوزاء al-Jauzā', a historical Arabic name of the constellation Orion, a feminine name in old roughly means "the Central One". Later, al-Jauzā' was also designated as the scientific Arabic name for Orion and for Gemini. The current Arabic name for Orion is الجبار al-Jabbār ("the Giant"), although the use of الجوزاء al-Jauzā' in the name of the star has[ 107] continued.[ 107] continued. There is some uncertainty surrounding the first element of the name, rendered as "Bet-" In his 1863 work Star-Names and Their Meanings, American amateur naturalist Richard Hinckley Allen stated the derivation was from the ابط الجوزاء Ibṭ al-Jauzah, which he claimed degenerated into a number of forms including Bed Elgueze, Beit Algueze, Bet El- gueze, Beteigeuze and more, to the (then) current forms Betelgeuse, Betelguese, Betelgueze and Betelgeux. The star was named Beldengeuze in the Alfonsine Tables, and Italian Jesuit priest and astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli had called it Bectelgeuze or[ 12] Bedalgeuze.[ 12] Paul Kunitzsch, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Munich, refuted Allen's derivation and instead proposed that the ful[ 108] name is a corruption of the Arabic يد الجوزاء Yad al-Jauzā' meaning "the Hand of al-Jauzā', i.e., Orion.[ 108] European name is a corruption of the Arabic يد الجوزاء Yad al-Jauzā' meaning "the Hand of al-Jauzā', i.e., Orion Europeanmistransliteration into medieval Latin led to the first character y ( ﻴ, with two dots underneath) being misread as a b ( ﺒ, with only one dot underneath). During the Renaissance, the star's name was written as بيت الجوزاء Bait al-Jauzā' ("house of Orion") or بط الجوزاء[ 107][ 6] Ibţ). This led to the modern rendering as Betelgeuse.[ 107] Other writers have since accepted Kunitzsch's explanation.[ 6] The 17th Other writers have since accepted Kunitzsch's explanation. The 17th[ 12] century English translator Edmund Chilmead gave it the name Ied Algeuze ("Orion's Hand"), from Christmannus.[ 12] Other Arabic names recorded include Al Yad al Yamnā ("the Right Hand"), Al Dhira ("the Arm"), and Al Mankib ("the Shoulder"), al[ 12] appended to "of the giant",[ 12] as منكب الجوزاء Mankib al Jauzā'. In Persian, however, the name is اِبطالجوزا, derived from the as منكب الجوزاء Mankib al Jauzā'. In Persian, however, the name is اِبطالجوزا, derived from the Arabic ابط الجوزاء Ibţ al-Jauzā', "armpit of Orion". Betelgeuse was the fourth nakshatra Ardra "Moist" in Hindi, and associated with the god Rudra. Allen linked Orion's association with[ 12] stormy weather to that of this deity of storms.[ 12] Bahu was its Sanskrit name, as part of a Hindu understanding of the constellation Bahu was its Sanskrit name, as part of a Hindu understanding of the constellation[ 12][ 12 as a running antelope or stag.[ 12] Other terms included the Persian Bašn "the Arm" via Brown, and Coptic Klaria "an Armlet".[ 12 as a running antelope or stag. Other terms included the Persian Bašn "the Arm" via Brown, and Coptic Klaria "an Armlet".In traditional Chinese astronomy, Betelgeuse was known as 参宿四 ( Shēnxiùsì, the Fourth (Star of the constellation) of Three (Stars)) as the constellation of 参宿 was at first a name only for the three stars in the girdle of Orion. Four stars were later added to this[ citation needed] constellation, but the earlier name stuck.[ citation needed] In Japan, this star was called Heike-boshi (suggested by the red butterfly flag constellation, but the earlier name stuck In Japan, this star was called Heike-boshi (suggested by the red butterfly flag[ 109][ 110] of the Heike clan), ( 平家星),[ 109][ 110] "the Star of the Heike clan" or Kin-waki, ( 金脇), "the Gold (Star) beside ( Mitsu-boshi)." of the Heike clan), ( 平家星), "the Star of the Heike clan" or Kin-waki, ( 金脇), "the Gold (Star) beside ( Mitsu-boshi)."