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beta

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: Beta, Běta, bêta, béta, bèta, and betą

English

Ancient Greek alphabet
←
alpha
 →
gamma
Β β
Ancient Greek: βῆτα
Wikipedia article on beta

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta). Doublet of beth.

Noun

beta (countable and uncountable, plural betas)

  2. The second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β,  β), preceded by alpha (Α,  α) and followed by gamma, (Γ,  γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental fricative sound of v found in the English words have and vase.
  3. (education, rare) An academic grade better than a gamma and worse than an alpha.
    • 1957, R. Avery, “This Week’s Competition”, in Time & Tide‎, volume 38, number 1, page 184:
      But let me tell you happy extroverts that only Vera Telfer and H. A. C. Evans got even an alpha minus; only T. E. Hendrie got a beta plus […]
    • 1964, Randolph Churchill, The Fight for the Tory Leadership: A Contemporary Chronicle‎, page 49:
      Mr Taylor would hardly give a beta minus to one of his history students […]
    • 1979, Angus MacVicar, Silver in My Sporran: Confessions of a Writing Man‎, page 76:
      The English class was for me delightful. My essays, still written under the influence of Kubla Khan, nearly always got a beta plus.
  4. (finance) Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.
    • 2001, Cheng-Few Lee, editor, Advances in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management, volume 8, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 143:
      An inspection of the results indicate that Property Trusts is the lowest risk industry with a long-run beta of 0.4520 while Gold is the highest risk industry with a long-run beta of 1.5229.
  5. (computing, video games)
    2. (uncountable) The phase of development after alpha testing and before launch, in which software, while not complete, has been released to potential users for testing.
      The company is offering a public beta program to test the software.
    3. (countable) Software in such a phase; a preliminary version.
      • 2007, Michael Lopp, Managing Humans, page 107:
        He quickly deduced our goal—ship a quality beta—but he also quickly discerned that we had no idea about the quality of the product because of our pile of untriaged bugs.
      • 2007, Mark Summerfield, Rapid GUI Programming with Python and Qt: The Definitive Guide to PyQt Programming‎, Pearson Education, →ISBN:
        We will assume you got the .tgz version—later 2.x series versions such as 2.5.2 or 2.6.0 should be okay, provided they are production releases (not alphas, betas, or release candidates).
      • 2015 February 14, Steven Strom, “Evolve Review: Middle of the food chain”, in Ars Technica‎:
        Before Evolve had even seen its first beta, the game's publisher dipped its toe into presenting it as an eSport.
      • 2020 July 9, Jacob Krol, “Here’s how to get the iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 public beta”, in CNN‎:
        Apple is rolling out the public beta of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 on Thursday. We have a full (and lengthy) preview guide on both operating systems here, and now we’re breaking down how to get the public beta on your iPhone or iPad.
        These versions of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 are betas and don’t represent final software.
    4. (proscribed, uncountable) Any kind of content from early development that was not used in the final product.
      beta levels; beta characters; beta items in a video game
  6. (climbing) Information about a route which may aid someone in climbing it.
  7. (physics) A beta particle or beta ray.
  8. (aviation) Sideslip angle.
  9. (aviation) The range of engine power settings in which the blade pitch angle of a constant-speed propeller is controlled directly by the angle of the engine's throttle lever (rather than varying with engine torque and airspeed to maintain a constant propeller RPM), allowing the propeller to be disked to generate high drag and slow the aircraft quickly.
  10. Alternative spelling of betta (“fish in the genus Betta”).
  11. (slang, manosphere, masculism) Ellipsis of beta male, a man who is less competent or desirable than an alpha male.
    • 2006, Catherine Mann, Blaze of Glory‎, Harlequin, published 2006, →ISBN:
      “I guess in your psychological language of alpha males and beta males, I would be firmly in the camp that prefers the more laid-back betas,” she took a deep breath, “like your father.”
    • 2010, L. A. Banks, “Dog Tired (of the Drama!)”, in Kevin J. Anderson, editor, Blood Lite II: Overbite, Gallery Books, →ISBN, page 121:
      “They want sexy, virile alpha males, yes? But that doesn't come with sensitive and loyal and all of that. That's a beta. A frickin' collie, Lola. […]
    • 2010, Terry Spear, Wolf Fever, Sourcebooks Casablanca, published 2010, →ISBN, page 24:
      She'd always had a thing for alpha males. Not that she had any intention of being bossed around, even if one had her best interests at heart. Her fascination with alphas was that they were a challenge. Betas didn't hold much of an appeal.
    • 2015, Stephen Jarosek, Tyrants of Matriarchy:
      When they ride the cock carousel in preference to the responsible betas that they find so boring, well, we guess that they pay.
    • 2018, Corey Pein, Live Work Work Work Die‎:
      News of Harper-Mercer's murder spree, which killed ten, prompted speculation on neoreactionary forums that the long-awaited “beta uprising” of virginal shut-ins had begun. Not quite. But in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, a large audience of Americans finally saw the real beta uprising in the violent Nazi rally that shut the city down
  12. (fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, a person of a secondary sex similar to normal humans, lacking the biological drives of alphas and omegas but generally capable of bonding and mating with either.
    • 2013, Kristina Busse, “Pon Farr, Mpreg, Bonds, and the Rise of the Omegaverse”, in Anne Jamison, editor, Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World, page 317:
      Many A/B/O stories posit societies where biological imperatives divide people based on wolf pack hierarchies into sexual dominants (alphas), sexual submissives (omegas), and everyone else (betas).
    • 2017, Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega? Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 99:
      In ASD, the beta also functions as a contrast, as Yuri is assumed to be a beta before his first heat reveals his omega status.
    • 2018, Laura Campillo Arnaiz, “When the Omega Empath Met the Alpha Doctor: An Analysis of Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics in the Hannibal Fandom”, in Ashton Spacey, editor, The Darker Side of Slash Fan Fiction, page 119:
      Betas are usually second in command to the reigning alpha, and omegas belong to the lowest caste of the social hierarchy.
Hyponyms

(unfinished software):

Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Translations
See also

Adjective

beta (not comparable)

  1. Identifying a molecular position in an organic chemical compound.
  2. Designates the second in an order of precedence.
  3. (computing) Preliminary; prerelease. Refers to an incomplete version of a product released for initial testing.
  4. (of a person, object or action) Associated with the beta male/female archetype.
Derived terms
terms derived from beta (adjective)
Translations

Verb

beta (third-person singular simple present betas, present participle betaing, simple past and past participle betaed)

  1. (computing) To preliminarily release computer software for initial testing prior to final release.
  2. (chiefly Internet) To beta-read a text.
    • 1999, sqira a., in alt.tv.x-files.creative
      My thanks to Heather; who read it and betaed it. Thank you.
    • 2000, Elizabeth Durack, quoted in Angelina I. Karpovich, “The Audience as Editor: The Role of Beta Readers in Online Fan Fiction Communities” (essay), in Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse (editors), Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet, McFarland (2006), →ISBN, page 180,
      Beta’ing is time-consuming, so asking a lot of people to give you a detailed analysis isn’t the most polite thing to do.
    • 2002, Jane Davitt, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer.creative
      The next part is written and beta'd (thanks, Jen!), ready to go but <shuffles feet> I haven't even started what should be the final part yet.
    • 2002, Karmen Ghia, in alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated
      I had the honor of betaing this story and as I was doing the first read through I had the odd, but lovely, experience when a story suspends the reader in its own rhythm and flow, its own reality.

Etymology 2

From Hindi बेटा (beṭā)

Noun

beta (countable and uncountable, plural betas)

  1. (North India, Pakistan, colloquial, Hinglish) a term of endearment, used towards someone of equal or lower standing such as a friend or child, similar to brother or son
    Don't pick that up, beta, it's dirty.

Anagrams

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Ambonese Malay

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Classical Malay بيتا (beta, “I”).

Pronoun

beta

  1. I first-person singular pronoun

See also

More information singular, plural ...

1 Used with inclusive meaning in some dialects.
2 Polite.

  • The short forms are mostly dependent.
  • The second person pronouns are usually avoided when talking to someone of higher status or older.

See each entry for more information.

References

  • D. Takaria, C. Pieter (1998), Kamus Bahasa Melayu Ambon-Indonesia‎, Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa
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Asturian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

  1. beta (Greek letter)

Catalan

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

  1. beta; the Greek letter Β (lowercase β)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Occitan beta.

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

  1. boat; specifically a small, flat-bottom boat common to the coasts of Provence and Languedoc

Further reading

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Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Pronunciation

Noun

beta n or f

  1. beta (Greek letter)

Declension

when feminine:

Declension of beta (hard feminine)
More information singular, plural ...

Indeclinable when neuter.

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Faroese

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta), ultimately from Proto-Semitic *bayt- (“house”).

Pronunciation

Noun

beta n (genitive singular beta, plural betu)

  1. beta (Greek letter)

Declension

More information n1, singular ...

Derived terms

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Galician

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta m (plural betas)

  1. beta (Greek letter)

Guyanese Creole English

Noun

beta

  1. alternative spelling of baytah (“son”)

References

Icelandic

Noun

beta f (genitive singular betu, nominative plural betur) or
beta n (genitive singular beta, nominative plural betu)

  1. beta (Greek letter)

Declension

More information singular, plural ...
More information singular, plural ...

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay beta, possibly from Hindi बेटा (beṭā, “son”). Some linguists propose that this word is a native derivation due to the similarity in form with kita (“we (inclusive)”).

Pronunciation

Noun

beta

  1. (dialectal) I, me, my
    Synonyms: aku, saya
Usage notes

The pronoun is obsolete in common use and limited in literature. It is also highly stereotypical of Maluku Islands (Moluccas) and East Nusa Tenggara.

References
  • Adelaar, K. A. (1992), Proto-Malayic: The reconstruction of its phonology and parts of its lexicon and morphology‎, Canberra: The Australian National University

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Pronunciation

Noun

beta (plural beta-beta)

  1. beta (second letter of the Greek alphabet)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Noun

bêta or beta

  1. abbreviation of benda terbang aneh (“unidentified flying object”)

Further reading

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Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɛ.ta/
  • Rhymes: -ɛta
  • Hyphenation: bè‧ta

Etymology 1

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

From Latin bēta, from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (invariable)

  1. the name of the Greek script letter Β/β; beta
  2. (computing) beta (software version)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Latin bēta (“beet”), from Celtic.

Noun

beta f (plural bete)

  1. alternative form of bieta; beet

Anagrams

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Jamaican Creole

Adjective

beta

  1. comparative degree of gud: better

Japanese

Romanization

beta

  1. Rōmaji transcription of ベタ

Latin

Malay

Nigerian Pidgin

Old Irish

Polish

Portuguese

Romanian

Serbo-Croatian

Slovak

Spanish

Swedish

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