Betelgeuse

Etymology

“”Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star hundreds of times of the diameter of the Sun. It expands and contracts over period of months and year, changing brightness noticeably in the process. The 10th century Arabic astronomer al-Ṣūfī said in his "Book of the Fixed Stars" that this star was known both as "mankin al-jauzāʾ" (the shoulder of al-jauzā) and also "yad al-jauzā" (the hand of al-jauzā). The name "Betelgeuse" comes from the second of these alternatives. al-jauzā was the name given by the Arabs to the large constellation that they saw in this area. The word al-jauzā apparently comes from the Arabic jwz meaning 'middle', so al-jauzā means something like 'the lady in the middle'. The reference to the 'middle may be to do with the fact that the constellation lies astride the celestial equator. The Greeks did not give a name to either Betelgeuse or Rigel, surprisingly for such prominent stars, which is why we know them by their Arabic titles.

—Ian Ridpath (2018) "Star Tales"