beta

[bey-tuh or, esp. British, bee-] /ˈbeɪ tə or, esp. British, ˈbi-/

noun

the second letter of the Greek alphabet (β, B).

the consonant sound represented by this letter.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. a star that is usually the second brightest of a constellation:

The second brightest star in Taurus is Beta Tauri.

Chemistry.

one of the possible positions of an atom or group in a compound.
one of two or more isomeric compounds.

the second of any series, as in chemistry or physics.

Also called beta coefficient, beta line. Stock Exchange. an arbitrary measure of the volatility of a given stock using an index of the volatility of the market as a whole:

A beta of 1.1 indicates a stock that is 10 percent more volatile than the market.

(initial capital letter) Trademark. a brand of tape format for VCR tape, incompatible with other formats.

Compare VHS.

Chiefly British. a grade showing that a student is in the middle or second of three scholastic sections in a class.

Compare alpha (def 7), gamma (def 9).

Origin

< Latin < Greek bêta < Semitic; compare Hebrew bēth beth

Examples from the web for beta

The private beta is available to you as well: sign up if you're interested.
beta waves are characteristics of a strongly engaged mind.
beta blockers are a type of drug used to treat high blood pressure.
And it would have to stick to beta amyloid in preference to anything else.
They are made up of various lengths and conformations of the beta amyloid protein.
To play in the beta, gamers will need a valid beta key.
beta blockers are categorized as non-selective or selective.
So the cost of equity is defined as the risk-free rate plus the share's beta multiplied by the expected equity-risk premium.
Earlier studies showed that immunizing such animals with amyloid beta peptides could remove amyloid plaques.
Go to the official beta website for a list of places that are handing them out.

British Dictionary definitions for beta

beta

/ˈbiːtə/

noun

the second letter in the Greek alphabet (Β, β), a consonant, transliterated as b

the second highest grade or mark, as in an examination

(modifier)

involving or relating to electrons: beta emitter
relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid: beta iron
relating to one of two or more isomeric forms of a chemical compound

Word Origin

from Greek bēta, from Hebrew; see beth

Beta

/ˈbiːtə/

noun

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

Word Origin and History for beta

second letter of the Greek alphabet, c.1300, from Greek, from Hebrew/Phoenician beth (see alphabet); used to designate the second of many things. Beta radiation is from 1899 (Rutherford). Beta particle is attested from 1904.

beta in Medicine

beta be·ta (bā'tə, bē'-)
n.

Symbol β The second letter of the Greek alphabet.
The second item in a series or system of classification.
A beta particle.
A beta ray.

adj.

Of or relating to the second position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted.
Of or relating to an isomeric variation of a chemical compound, such as a stereoisomer.

beta in Technology

Kristensen, Madsen , Moller-Pedersen & Nygaard, 1983. Object-oriented language with block structure, coroutines, concurrency, strong typing, part objects, separate objects and classless objects. Central feature is a single abstraction mechanism called "patterns", a generalisation of classes, providing instantiation and hierarchical inheritance for all objects including procedures and processes.
Mjolner Informatics ApS, Aarhus, implementations for Mac, Sun, HP, Apollo.
E-mail: .
Mailing list: .
["Object-Oriented Programming in the BETA Programming Language", Ole Lehrmann et al, A-W June 1993, ISBN 0-201-62430-3].
[Jargon File]
(1995-10-31)

/bay't*/, /be't*/ or (Commonwealth) /bee't*/
See beta conversion, beta test.
[Jargon File]