English word origin

Etymology of Rigel

A corruption of Arabic رِجْل (rijl, “foot, leg”), in the Arabic name رِجْل الْجَبَّار (rijl al-jabbār, literally “foot of the great one (i.e., Orion)”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A blue supergiant star in the constellation Orion; Beta (β) Orionis. The seventh brightest star in the night sky.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A corruption of Arabic رِجْل (rijl, “foot, leg”), in the Arabic name رِجْل الْجَبَّار (rijl al-jabbār, literally “foot of the great one (i.e., Orion)”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionرِجْلar
Root classification mentionر ج لar

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "رِجْل",
        "4": "",
        "5": "foot, leg"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic رِجْل (rijl, “foot, leg”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "ر ج ل"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "رِجْل",
      "رجل#Arabic"
    ],
    [
      "رِجْل الْجَبَّار",
      "رجل الجبار#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A blue supergiant star in the constellation Orion; Beta (β) Orionis. The seventh brightest star in the night sky."
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 481901
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from German.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably an Americanized spelling of German Reigel or Riegel.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionReigelde

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Reigel"
      },
      "expansion": "German Reigel"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Reigel",
      "Reigel#German"
    ],
    [
      "Riegel",
      "Riegel#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from German."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "8b1ff8a7085844c618440f32e2bdbe7efae2339e1c024e74308aa114c858d37d",
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Rigel →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-UmlnZWw