beta

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Related to beta: beta version, Beta blockers, Beta distribution

be·ta

(bā′tə, bē′-)

1. The second letter of the Greek alphabet. See Table at alphabet.

2. The second item in a series or system of classification.

3. A mathematical measure of the sensitivity of rates of return on a portfolio or a given stock compared with rates of return on the market as a whole. A beta of 1.0 indicates that an asset closely follows the market; a beta greater than 1.0 indicates greater volatility than the market.

4. Astronomy The second brightest star in a constellation.

5. Computers The version of a software or hardware product used in a beta test.

adj.

1. Being the second-ranked individual of one's sex. Used of social animals: the beta male of the chimpanzee colony.

2. Chemistry

a. Being in the second position relative to a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a group may be substituted.

b. Referring to the second of a group of isomers, or molecules of similar origin or properties, determined arbitrarily by those who discover or classify them. Used in combination: beta-estradiol

3. Computers Of or relating to a beta test or the software or hardware involved in a beta test.

[Greek bēta, of Phoenician origin; see byt in Semitic roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

beta

(ˈbiːtə)

1. (Letters of the Alphabet (Foreign)) the second letter in the Greek alphabet (Β, β), a consonant, transliterated as b

2. the second highest grade or mark, as in an examination

3. (General Physics) (modifier)

a. involving or relating to electrons: beta emitter.

b. relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid: beta iron.

c. relating to one of two or more isomeric forms of a chemical compound

[from Greek bēta, from Hebrew; see beth]

Beta

(ˈbiːtə)

(Astronomy) (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) a star in a constellation, usually the second brightest: Beta Persei.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

be•ta

(ˈbeɪ tə; esp. Brit. ˈbi-)

n., pl. -tas,
adj. n.

1. the second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, ß).

2. (cap.) the second brightest star in a constellation: Beta Tauri.

3. the second of any series.

adj.

a. pertaining to one of the possible positions of an atom or group in a compound.

b. pertaining to one of two or more isomeric compounds.

[< Latin < Greek bêta < Semitic; compare Hebrew bēth]

Be•ta

(ˈbeɪ tə; esp. Brit. ˈbi-) Trademark.

a videocassette tape format.

beta

A test period for new software or hardware.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	beta - the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet Greek alphabet - the alphabet used by ancient Greeks alphabetic character, letter of the alphabet, letter - the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech; "his grandmother taught him his letters"
	2.	Beta - beets genus Beta caryophylloid dicot genus - genus of relatively early dicotyledonous plants including mostly flowers Chenopodiaceae, family Chenopodiaceae, goosefoot family - includes spinach and beets beet, Beta vulgaris, common beet - biennial Eurasian plant usually having a swollen edible root; widely cultivated as a food crop
Adj.	1.	beta - second in order of importance; "the candidate, considered a beta male, was perceived to be unable to lead his party to victory" important, of import - of great significance or value; "important people"; "the important questions of the day"
	2.	beta - preliminary or testing stage of a software or hardware product; "a beta version"; "beta software" explorative, exploratory - serving in or intended for exploration or discovery; "an exploratory operation"; "exploratory reconnaissance"; "digging an exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico"; "exploratory talks between diplomats"

Translations

Spanish / Español

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beta

[ˈbiːtə]

A. N → beta f

B. CPD beta blocker N (Med) → betabloqueador m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

beta

n beta; — blocker beta-bloqueador m, beta-bloqueante m; — carotene betacaroteno; beta-hemolytic beta-hemolítico

References in classic literature ?

He caricatured the practice in the very form of his diction, as in the verse: '{Epsilon pi iota chi alpha rho eta nu / epsilon iota delta omicron nu / Mu alpha rho alpha theta omega nu alpha delta epsilon / Beta alpha delta iota zeta omicron nu tau alpha}, or, {omicron upsilon kappa / alpha nu / gamma / epsilon rho alpha mu epsilon nu omicron sigma / tau omicron nu / epsilon kappa epsilon iota nu omicron upsilon /epsilon lambda lambda epsilon beta omicron rho omicron nu}.

Or, for {eta iota omicron nu epsilon sigma / beta omicron omicron omega rho iota nu, eta iota omicron nu epsilon sigma kappa rho alpha zeta omicron upsilon rho iota nu}

View in context

Standing at the beginning of British (and English) history, his name came to be applied to the whole of it, just as the first two Greek letters, alpha and beta, have given the name to the alphabet.] Laghamon was a humble parish priest in Worcestershire, and his thirty-two thousand half-lines, in which he imperfectly follows the Anglo-Saxon alliterative meter, are rather crude; though they are by no means dull, rather are often strong with the old-time Anglo-Saxon fighting spirit.

View in context

Secchiari (2007).Relationship between beta lactoglobulin polymorphism and milk fatty acid composition in milk of Massese dairy ewes.

Short Communication - POLYMORPHISM OF [beta]-LACTOGLOBULIN IN PRAMENKA SHEEP BREED IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

[USA], Jan 9 ( ANI ): According to a research, melanoma patients may live longer if they take beta blockers, a class of drugs used to manage abnormal heart rhythm and prevent heart attacks.

How beta blockers can help melanoma patients live longer

Methods: This descriptive study females of child bearing age visiting FMH OPD presenting with hypochromic microcytic anemia were selected by non-probability purposive sampling and screened for beta thalassemia trait.

FREQUENCY OF CARRIER RATE OF BETA ([beta]) THALASSEMIA TRAIT IN FEMALES OF CHILD BEARING AGE

DHEA metabolites activate estrogen receptors alpha and beta. Steroids 78: 15-25.

Differential activation of a mouse estrogen receptor [beta] isoform (mER[beta]2) with endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCS)

The random variable X is said to have a beta type 1 distribution with parameters (a, b), a > 0, b > 0, denoted as X ~ B1(a, b), if its p.d.f.

Multivariate Macdonald distribution and its properties

Intermediates: Ian Hopley (Beta) 23, Sam Haywood (Ossa) 26, Rob McLoughlin (Beta) 27.

Sam is so close

Other studies presenting evidence that the beta stability assumption may be invalid include Morana (2009), Avramov & Chordia (2006), Gregory-Allen, Impson & Karafiath (2006), Ebner & Neumann (2005), and Brooks, Faff & Ariff (1998).

Further investigation on the variability of individual stock beta and portfolio size

B([a.sub.i], [b.sub.i]) = [GAMMA]([a.sub.i])[GAMMA])[b.sub.i])/[GAMMA]([a.sub.i] + [b.sub.i]) - beta functions,

Two-parameter electronic devices quality models/Daugiaparametriu gaminiu kokybes lygio tiesines transformacijos modeliai