'Aldebaran' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'الدبران' (al-dabarān), where 'al-' is the definite article and 'dabarān' means 'the follower,' referring to its position following the Pleiades cluster in the sky.

'الدبران' (al-dabarān) was adopted into Latin as 'Aldebaran,' and eventually became the modern English word 'Aldebaran.'

Initially, it meant 'the follower,' referring to its position in the sky, and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.