Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A double, eclipsing variable star in the constellation Perseus, almost as bright as Polaris.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Astron.) A fixed star, in Medusa's head, in the constellation Perseus, remarkable for its periodic variation in brightness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun astronomy An eclipsing binary star in the constellation of Perseus; Beta (β) Persei. It represents the eye of Medusa, whose head is being held by Perseus.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Arabic (ra’s) al-g̣ūl, (head) of the ghoul : al-, the + g̣ūl, ghoul (so called because the star was considered to represent the head of Medusa held by Perseus); see g̣wl in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Arabic الغول (al-ghūl, "the ghoul").

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Examples

  • The name Algol is only a variation of Al-ghúl, the monster or demon, and it cannot be doubted that the demoniac, Gorgonian character assigned to this star was suggested by its ominous change, as though it were the eye of some fierce monster slowly winking amid the gloom of space.

    Myths and Marvels of Astronomy 1862

  • Certain stars, called Algol stars, vary in light at regular intervals when partially eclipsed by the interposition of a large dark satellite.

    The Future of Astronomy Edward Charles Pickering 1882

  • The most celebrated of all the variable stars is that known as Algol, whose position in the constellation of Perseus is shown in Fig. 83.

    The Story of the Heavens 1876

  • A star system called Algol has been intriguing scientists for more than 300 years.

    Naturejobs - All Jobs 2010

  • Algol, which is located about 96 light-years away from us, happens to be a member of a multi-star system.

    Daily News & Analysis 2009

  • He states that "... the star Algol, which is located in Taurus ...."

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol V No 4 1984

  • For example, the star Algol, which is located in Taurus, is given in many dictionaries as descending from al-ghāla, ` the destroyer, 'but its more likely origin is the more familiar form from the same root: ghul ` a woodland demon' from which we got our word ghoul, ` a defiler of graves. '

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol V No 3 1978

  • Advanced general computer languages, such as Algol or Fortran, had not been developed, so that all programmes had to be written in specific machine code.

    Paul Crutzen - Autobiography 1996

  • My plan is this: It is well known that many variable stars, such as Algol, [sigma] Librae, U Coronae, and the remarkable variable D.M. + 1. 3408°, discovered by Mr. E.F. Sawyer, fluctuate at regular intervals.

    Scientific American Supplement, No. 358, November 11, 1882 Various

  • '' 'Algol' '', also known as '' 'Beta Persei' '', is a triple star system located 92.8 light years away in the constellation of [[Perseus]].

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] BMcP 2010

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