17-year-old Redwood’s answer matches mine. At age 18± circa 1973, I researched this and related linguistical questions about Orion at the Siever Science Library at USC, as I recall it was then called. The word’s origin shown in the books I checked was approximately as Redwood represented. However, as I was already an amateur educated in literary Arabic, then and now, I would render the transcription as “baytu l-jawzâ’”: بيت الجوزاء. or, fully voweled, بَيْتُ ٱلْجَوْزَاء.
(The circumflex-a is an eight-bit substitute for a macron-a and here symbolizes a simple, prolonged “a”, much like the “a” in “man”. The “u” is a case declension, for which “a” or “i” could be substituted, depending upon the syntax in the sentence. The terminal, right or closing, curled quote mark, imitating the classical-Greek psilon pneuma or psili, transcribes the Arabic hamzatu l-qaṭ‘—glottal plosive. The stress accent’s position is not phonemic in classical Arabic, but the syllables “bay” and “zâ’” receive the very modest stress. Commonly, in vernacular Arabic, the terminal hamzah is lost, and that shifts the accent, in this case, to the preceding syllable. In allophonic IPA transcription, those are [ˡbæjtʊ l-ʤæwˡzæːʔ] and [ˡbeːtɪ l-ˡʤoːzæː].)
Despite even Wikipedia showing it thus, on its face, “abet” could not possibly be an accurate transliteration of the literary or classical Arabic word for “axilla”, إِبْط , even unvoweled إبط. Theء hamzatu l-qaṭ‘ (≅ l-qaţ‘]) appears /beneath/ the ‘alif, in the position of kasrah. That constrains the vowel to be kasrah, /i/, none other. The correct pre-pausal transcriptions are ’ibṭ (≅ ’ibţ) and IPA allophonic [ʔɪbt̴] [ʔɪbt~]. (This “t” is pharyngealized—muṭbaq, symbolized by the subscript dot and overlaid middle tilde.) Moreover, the “b” in this word is often devoiced, pronounced [b̥], almost [p].
In order to suppose that ’ibṭ/’ibţ is the source of the “Bet-” in Bételgeuse, it seems that one must first postulate that the letters “i” and “b” suffered a metathesis in a prior transcription, i.e., “ibt” was transformed to “bit”, thence to “bet”. One must also postulate that the original transcriber did not hear or pronounce the “b” devoiced, almost a “p”. All that is conceivable, but that derivation is more complicated than the alternative: from the vernacular Arabic “bêt”, also spelling “bayt”, which contracts the classical sequence [æj] to a prolonged, undiphthongal [eː]. (The IPA symbol “j” is pronounced like the consonant in “yea”.) Thus, Ockham’s razor favors the explanation “Redwood” cited.
Alpha and Beta Geminorum, Castor and Pollux, are indeed classically the twin stars. They appear north and east of Orion (above and leftward). Bételgeuse appears north of Orion’s “belt” of three stars. They point roughly toward Alpha Canis Major, Sirius, the brightest star in Orion’s “big dog” and in the whole night sky. Orion’s two shoulder stars (not axillary stars, I opine!), Bellatrix and Betelgeuse, roughly point leftward toward Alpha Canis Minor, Procyon, the brightest star in that constellation, Orion’s “little dog”. Approximately north of it appears the constellation Gemini.
The constellations Orion and company are now (January) easily visible in the early-night sky. I hope that aids whoever seeks to view them.
Well, ..., basically,Arabic: meaning 'Orion's Armpit'.
"There is some uncertainty surrounding the first element of the name, rendered as "Bet-". However, "abet" or إبط is the Arabic word for "armpit", which is where the star is located in the constellation. Betelgeuse is literally translated at "Orion's armpit." "
I like to think that if a beetle did crawl into Orion's armpit and he closed it repeatedly then he'd be squirting out "Betelgeuse" ... I know it's gross but you won't forget it.
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 Arabian legend, and of uncertain meaning. Because جوز j-w-z, the root of jauzā', means "middle", al-Jauzā' 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 continued.
There is some uncertainty surrounding the first element of the name, rendered as "Bet-". However, "abet" or إبط is the Arabic word for "armpit", which is where the star is located in the constellation. Betelgeuse is literally translated at "Orion's armpit."
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 Arabian legend, and of uncertain meaning. Because جوز j-w-z, the root of jauzā', means "middle", al-Jauzā' 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 continued.[107]
There is some uncertainty surrounding the first element of the name, rendered as "Bet-". However, "abet" or إبط is the Arabic word for "armpit", which is where the star is located in the constellation. Betelgeuse is literally translated at "Orion's armpit."
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 Bedalgeuze.[12]
Paul Kunitzsch, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Munich, refuted Allen's derivation and instead proposed that the full name is a corruption of the Arabic يد الجوزاء Yad al-Jauzā' meaning "the Hand of al-Jauzā', i.e., Orion.[108] European mistransliteration 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 Baţ al-Jauzā', incorrectly thought to mean "armpit of Orion" (a true translation of "armpit" would be ابط, transliterated as Ibţ). This led to the modern rendering as Betelgeuse.[107] Other writers have since accepted Kunitzsch's explanation.[6] The 17th 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"), all appended to "of the giant",[12] 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".
It seems that others disagree, but all my books have it down as coming from "bayt al-jawzaa" which his arabic for for "house of twins". This is because Betelgeuse was once associated with the nearby stars "Castor" and "Pollox", the Gemini Twins.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
It's corrupted Arabic.
The last part seem to mean "of Orion".
The first part is debated. It could me house, arm, hand, or maybe even armpit.
The corruption makes the true meaning unclear.
Betelgeuse Meaning
17-year-old Redwood’s answer matches mine. At age 18± circa 1973, I researched this and related linguistical questions about Orion at the Siever Science Library at USC, as I recall it was then called. The word’s origin shown in the books I checked was approximately as Redwood represented. However, as I was already an amateur educated in literary Arabic, then and now, I would render the transcription as “baytu l-jawzâ’”: بيت الجوزاء. or, fully voweled, بَيْتُ ٱلْجَوْزَاء.
(The circumflex-a is an eight-bit substitute for a macron-a and here symbolizes a simple, prolonged “a”, much like the “a” in “man”. The “u” is a case declension, for which “a” or “i” could be substituted, depending upon the syntax in the sentence. The terminal, right or closing, curled quote mark, imitating the classical-Greek psilon pneuma or psili, transcribes the Arabic hamzatu l-qaṭ‘—glottal plosive. The stress accent’s position is not phonemic in classical Arabic, but the syllables “bay” and “zâ’” receive the very modest stress. Commonly, in vernacular Arabic, the terminal hamzah is lost, and that shifts the accent, in this case, to the preceding syllable. In allophonic IPA transcription, those are [ˡbæjtʊ l-ʤæwˡzæːʔ] and [ˡbeːtɪ l-ˡʤoːzæː].)
Despite even Wikipedia showing it thus, on its face, “abet” could not possibly be an accurate transliteration of the literary or classical Arabic word for “axilla”, إِبْط , even unvoweled إبط. Theء hamzatu l-qaṭ‘ (≅ l-qaţ‘]) appears /beneath/ the ‘alif, in the position of kasrah. That constrains the vowel to be kasrah, /i/, none other. The correct pre-pausal transcriptions are ’ibṭ (≅ ’ibţ) and IPA allophonic [ʔɪbt̴] [ʔɪbt~]. (This “t” is pharyngealized—muṭbaq, symbolized by the subscript dot and overlaid middle tilde.) Moreover, the “b” in this word is often devoiced, pronounced [b̥], almost [p].
In order to suppose that ’ibṭ/’ibţ is the source of the “Bet-” in Bételgeuse, it seems that one must first postulate that the letters “i” and “b” suffered a metathesis in a prior transcription, i.e., “ibt” was transformed to “bit”, thence to “bet”. One must also postulate that the original transcriber did not hear or pronounce the “b” devoiced, almost a “p”. All that is conceivable, but that derivation is more complicated than the alternative: from the vernacular Arabic “bêt”, also spelling “bayt”, which contracts the classical sequence [æj] to a prolonged, undiphthongal [eː]. (The IPA symbol “j” is pronounced like the consonant in “yea”.) Thus, Ockham’s razor favors the explanation “Redwood” cited.
Alpha and Beta Geminorum, Castor and Pollux, are indeed classically the twin stars. They appear north and east of Orion (above and leftward). Bételgeuse appears north of Orion’s “belt” of three stars. They point roughly toward Alpha Canis Major, Sirius, the brightest star in Orion’s “big dog” and in the whole night sky. Orion’s two shoulder stars (not axillary stars, I opine!), Bellatrix and Betelgeuse, roughly point leftward toward Alpha Canis Minor, Procyon, the brightest star in that constellation, Orion’s “little dog”. Approximately north of it appears the constellation Gemini.
The constellations Orion and company are now (January) easily visible in the early-night sky. I hope that aids whoever seeks to view them.
Well, ..., basically,Arabic: meaning 'Orion's Armpit'.
"There is some uncertainty surrounding the first element of the name, rendered as "Bet-". However, "abet" or إبط is the Arabic word for "armpit", which is where the star is located in the constellation. Betelgeuse is literally translated at "Orion's armpit." "
I like to think that if a beetle did crawl into Orion's armpit and he closed it repeatedly then he'd be squirting out "Betelgeuse" ... I know it's gross but you won't forget it.
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 Arabian legend, and of uncertain meaning. Because جوز j-w-z, the root of jauzā', means "middle", al-Jauzā' 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 continued.
There is some uncertainty surrounding the first element of the name, rendered as "Bet-". However, "abet" or إبط is the Arabic word for "armpit", which is where the star is located in the constellation. Betelgeuse is literally translated at "Orion's armpit."
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 Arabian legend, and of uncertain meaning. Because جوز j-w-z, the root of jauzā', means "middle", al-Jauzā' 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 continued.[107]
There is some uncertainty surrounding the first element of the name, rendered as "Bet-". However, "abet" or إبط is the Arabic word for "armpit", which is where the star is located in the constellation. Betelgeuse is literally translated at "Orion's armpit."
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 Bedalgeuze.[12]
Paul Kunitzsch, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Munich, refuted Allen's derivation and instead proposed that the full name is a corruption of the Arabic يد الجوزاء Yad al-Jauzā' meaning "the Hand of al-Jauzā', i.e., Orion.[108] European mistransliteration 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 Baţ al-Jauzā', incorrectly thought to mean "armpit of Orion" (a true translation of "armpit" would be ابط, transliterated as Ibţ). This led to the modern rendering as Betelgeuse.[107] Other writers have since accepted Kunitzsch's explanation.[6] The 17th 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"), all appended to "of the giant",[12] 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".
It seems that others disagree, but all my books have it down as coming from "bayt al-jawzaa" which his arabic for for "house of twins". This is because Betelgeuse was once associated with the nearby stars "Castor" and "Pollox", the Gemini Twins.
Well, there are billions or trillions of stars that we know of, so they all have names. It being CHI75 or Proxima Centauri, they are both stars.
It means juice made of beetles. Beetle-juice.