beta

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

English

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

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

(UK) enPR: bēʹtə, IPA^(key): /ˈbiːtə/
(US) enPR: bāʹtə, IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪtə/
Audio (US) (file)
(Hong Kong) IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪ.ta/
Rhymes: -iːtə, -eɪtə
(UK) Homophone: beater (non-rhotic accents)
(US) Homophone: baiter (non-rhotic accents)

Noun

beta (plural betas)

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.
Used in marking scheme: α, β, γ or α+, α, α-, β etc.
(finance) Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.
(computing, video games, 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.
(computing, video games, 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.
- 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.
(climbing) Information about a route which may aid someone in climbing it.
(physics) A beta particle or beta ray.
(aviation) Sideslip angle.
(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.
Alternative spelling of betta (“fish in the genus Betta”)
(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
(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 Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World (ed. Anne Jamison), 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 The Darker Side of Slash Fan Fiction (ed. Ashton Spacey), 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):

closed beta
open beta
paid beta
perpetual beta
public beta

Coordinate terms

(sideslip angle): alpha, gamma, theta

Derived terms

alpha-beta filter
alpha-beta pruning
amyloid beta
amyloid-beta
beta-beam
beta city
beta distribution
beta error
beta female
beta function
beta-lactamase
beta-lactamic
beta-lipoprotein
beta movement
beta-naphthol
beta orbiter
beta-pleated sheet
beta reduce
beta reduction
beta-sitosterol
beta test, beta-test
beta tester
beta testing
betatron
betavoltaic
betavoltaics
machete beta
metallo-beta-lactamase
New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1
region-beta paradox

Translations

letter of the Greek alphabet

Arabic: بِيتَا‎ f (betā), بِيتَا‎ f (bītā)
Asturian: beta (ast) f
Bulgarian: бе́та f (béta)
Catalan: beta (ca) f
Chinese:
Cantonese: 啤打 (be¹ daa²)
Mandarin: 貝塔／贝塔 (zh) (bèitǎ)
Czech: beta (cs)
Danish: beta (da) n
Dutch: bèta (nl) f or m
Esperanto: beto (eo)
Faroese: beta n
Finnish: beeta (fi)
French: bêta (fr) m
Galician: beta (gl) m
Georgian: ბეტა (ka) (beṭa)
Greek: βήτα (el) n (víta)
Ancient: βῆτα f (bêta)
Hebrew: בֵּיתָא‎ (he) f (béta)
Hungarian: béta (hu)
Indonesian: beta (id)
Interlingua: beta
Irish: béite f
Italian: beta (it) f
Japanese: ベータ (bēta)
Korean: 베타 (ko) (beta)
Latin: bēta (la) n
Malay: beta (ms)
Maori: peta
Persian: بتا‎ (fa) (betâ)
Polish: beta (pl) f
Portuguese: beta (pt) m
Russian: бе́та (ru) f (bɛ́ta)
Slovak: beta f or n
Spanish: beta (es) f
Swedish: beta (sv)
Tagalog: beta
Thai: บีตา (bii-dtâa)
Turkish: beta (tr)
Ukrainian: бе́та (uk) f (béta)
Vietnamese: bêta (vi)

Adjective

beta (not comparable)

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

Derived terms

terms derived from beta (adjective)

beta amino acid, beta-amino acid
beta barrel, beta-barrel
beta blocker, beta-blocker
Betacam
beta carbon nitride
beta-carotene, beta carotene
beta cell
beta coefficient
beta decay
beta emitter
beta form 1-3
beta globin
beta globulin
beta-glucan
beta-glucosidase
beta helix
beta lactam, beta-lactam
betalike
Betamax
beta oxidation, beta-oxidation
beta particle, β-particle
beta-peptide
beta radiation
beta ray, β-ray
beta reader
beta receptor
beta sheet
beta strand
beta version
beta wave

Translations

beta

Bulgarian: бе́та (béta)
Dutch: bèta (nl) m or f
Esperanto: beta (eo)
Finnish: beeta (fi)
French: bêta (fr)
Georgian: ბეტა (ka) (beṭa)
Greek: βήτα (el) n (víta)
Hebrew: בֵּיתָא‎ (he) f (béta)
Interlingua: beta
Italian: beta (it)
Japanese: ベータ (bēta)
Korean: 베타 (ko) (beta)
Persian: بتا‎ (fa) (betâ)
Portuguese: beta (pt) m
Russian: бе́та (ru) f (bɛ́ta)
Spanish: beta (es)
Swedish: beta (sv)
Vietnamese: bêta (vi)

Verb

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

(computing) To preliminarily release computer software for initial testing prior to final release.
(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.

Anagrams

Bate, Teba, abet, bate, beat

Ambonese Malay

Etymology

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

Pronoun

beta

I first-person singular pronoun

Alternative forms

bet

References

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

Asturian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

beta (Greek letter)

Catalan

Pronunciation

(Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ.tə/

(Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ.ta/

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

beta; the Greek letter Β (lowercase β).

Etymology 2

From Occitan beta.

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

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

Czech

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta n

beta (Greek letter)

Faroese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈpeːʰta/
Rhymes: -eːʰta
Homophone: betað

Noun

beta n (genitive singular beta, plural betu)

beta (Greek letter)

Declension

Declension of beta
n1	singular		plural
n1	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	beta	betað	betu, betur	betuni
accusative	beta	betað	betu, betur	betuni
dative	beta	betanum	betum	betunum
genitive	beta	betans	betna	betnanna

Derived terms

betageisli m
betageisling f

Galician

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta m (plural betas)

beta (Greek letter)

Icelandic

Noun

beta n (genitive singular beta, no plural)

beta (Greek letter)

Declension

declension of beta

	indefinite	definite
n-w	singular
nominative	beta	betað
accusative	beta	betað
dative	beta	betanu
genitive	beta	betans

Indonesian

Etymology 1

From Malay beta.

Noun

beta

I, me, my

Noun

beta

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

Italian

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

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

Noun

beta f (invariable)

the name of the Greek script letter Β/β; beta
(computing) beta (software version)

Derived terms

betacismo

Related terms

bet

Etymology 2

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

Noun

beta f (plural bete)

Alternative form of bieta; beet

Anagrams

beat, tabe

Japanese

Romanization

beta

Rōmaji transcription of ベタ

Latin

Etymology 1

Said by some sources to be of Celtic origin,[1][2] but no obvious Celtic cognates exist. Also compared are blitum (“spinach”), meta (“conic heap of stones”) (compared to the root's spindle form), and less likely, sense 2, with the seed vessel resembling the letter.

Noun

bēta f (genitive bētae); first declension

A beet.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	bēta	bētae
Genitive	bētae	bētārum
Dative	bētae	bētīs
Accusative	bētam	bētās
Ablative	bētā	bētīs
Vocative	bēta	bētae

Descendants

Catalan: bleda (partially), bleda-rave
French: bette, betterave, blette (partially)
- Galician: beterraba
- Portuguese: beterraba
- Spanish: betarraga (Chile), beterraga (Chile), beterava (Western Argentina)
Irish: biatas
Italian: bieta (partially), bietola
Norman: betterave
Sicilian: jiti (Southern East of Sicily) (it is probably pluralia tantum but preceded by definite article "a")
→ Proto-West Germanic: *bētā (see there for further descendants)

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

bēta n (indeclinable)

The Greek letter beta.

References

“beta”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“beta”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
beta in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN
Berti-Pichat (1866)
Baxter (1837)
Poiret (1827)
von Lippmann (1925)
Geschwind & Sellier (1902)
Pabst (1887)
Becker-Dillengen (1928)
Biancardi, Panella & Lewellen (2011): Beta maritima: The Origin of Beets

Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “beet”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Malay

Pronunciation

(Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): /betə/
(Riau-Lingga) IPA^(key): /beta/
Rhymes: -etə, -tə, -ə

Etymology 1

From Court Malay, Beta.

Pronoun

beta (Jawi spelling بيتا‎)

(royal) I, me, my (exclusive use in royalty, subject is either king or queen)

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta (Jawi spelling بيتا‎, plural beta-beta, informal 1st possessive betaku, 2nd possessive betamu, 3rd possessive betanya)

beta (second letter of the Greek alphabet)

Old Irish

Alternative forms

bete

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbʲeda/

Verb

beta

third-person plural present subjunctive relative of is
- c. 845, St Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 207^b11
  Cit comṡuidigthi la Grécu ní écen dúnni beta comṡuidigthi linn.
  Although they are compounds in Greek (lit. “with the Greeks”), it is not necessary for us that they be compounds in our language (lit. “with us”).

Polish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ.ta/
Audio (file)
Rhymes: -ɛta
Syllabification: be‧ta

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta), from Phoenician 𐤁‬‎ (b‬ /bēt/).

Noun

beta f

beta (Greek letter Β, β)

Declension

Declension of beta

	singular	plural
nominative	beta	bety
genitive	bety	bet
dative	becie	betom
accusative	betę	bety
instrumental	betą	betami
locative	becie	betach
vocative	beto	bety

Derived terms

nouns

abetalipoproteinemia
beta-karoten
komórka beta
promieniowanie beta
stan beta
wersja beta

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

beta m inan

genitive/accusative singular of bet

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin beta, from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (plural betas)

beta (all senses)

Noun

beta f (plural betas)

beet (plant)

Romanian

Etymology

From French bêta.

Noun

beta m (plural beta)

beta (Greek letter)

Declension

Declension of beta

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) beta	betaul	(niște) beta	betai
genitive/dative	(unui) beta	betaului	(unor) beta	betalor
vocative	betaule		betalor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bêta/
Hyphenation: be‧ta

Noun

bȅta f (Cyrillic spelling бе̏та)

beta, the Greek letter, Β, β

Declension

Declension of beta

	singular	plural
nominative	beta	bete
genitive	bete	beta
dative	beti	betama
accusative	betu	bete
vocative	beto	bete
locative	beti	betama
instrumental	betom	betama

Slovak

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈbeta]

Noun

beta f (genitive singular bety, nominative plural bety, genitive plural biet, declension pattern of žena) OR
beta n

beta (Greek letter)

Usage notes

When used in the neuter gender, the word is not declined.

Declension

Declension of beta

	singular	plural
nominative	beta	bety
genitive	bety	biet
dative	bete	betám
accusative	betu	bety
locative	bete	betách
instrumental	betou	betami

References

beta in Slovak dictionaries at slovnik.juls.savba.sk

Spanish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbeta/ [ˈbe.t̪a]
Rhymes: -eta
Syllabification: be‧ta
Homophone: veta

Noun

beta f (plural betas)

beta; the Greek letter Β, β

Derived terms

partícula beta
radiación beta
rayo beta

Swedish

Etymology 1

Latin bēta, from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta n or c

beta; the Greek letter Β, β
(computing) a beta version of a program
(slang) short for minnesbeta

Declension

Declension of beta Greek letter
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	beta	betat	beta	betan
Genitive	betas	betats	betas	betans

Declension of beta
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	beta	betan	betor	betorna
Genitive	betas	betans	betors	betornas

Verb

beta (present betar, preterite betade, supine betat, imperative beta)

to test software prior to release

Conjugation

Conjugation of beta (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	beta		betas
Supine	betat		betats
Imperative	beta		—
Imper. plural¹	beten		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	betar	betade	betas	betades
Ind. plural¹	beta	betade	betas	betades
Subjunctive²	bete	betade	betes	betades
	Participles
Present participle	betande
Past participle	betad
¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Etymology 2

Ultimately from Latin bēta (“beet”).

Noun

beta c

beetroot

Declension

Declension of beta
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	beta	betan	betor	betorna
Genitive	betas	betans	betors	betornas

Etymology 3

bete +‎ -a

Verb

beta (present betar, preterite betade, supine betat, imperative beta)

to graze; to eat grass; to feed on growing herbage.

Conjugation

Conjugation of beta (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	beta		betas
Supine	betat		betats
Imperative	beta		—
Imper. plural¹	beten		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	betar	betade	betas	betades
Ind. plural¹	beta	betade	betas	betades
Subjunctive²	bete	betade	betes	betades
	Participles
Present participle	betande
Past participle	betad
¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Etymology 4

Clipping of betaga; be- +‎ ta. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɛˈtɑː/

Verb

beta (present betar, preterite betog, supine betagit, imperative beta)

to steal

Conjugation

Conjugation of beta (class 6 strong)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	beta		betas
Supine	betagit		betagits
Imperative	beta		—
Imper. plural¹	betan		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	betar	betog	betas	betogs
Ind. plural¹	beta	betogo	betas	betogos
Subjunctive²	beta	betoge	betas	betoges
	Participles
Present participle	betagande
Past participle	betagen
¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Conjugation of betaga (class 6 strong, dated)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	betaga		betagas
Supine	betagit		betagits
Imperative	betag		—
Imper. plural¹	betagen		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	betager	betog	betages	betogs
Ind. plural¹	betaga	betogo	betagas	betogos
Subjunctive²	betage	betoge	betages	betoges
	Participles
Present participle	betagande
Past participle	betagen
¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

[1] Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

[2] Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “beet”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

beta

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Hyponyms

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

Anagrams

Ambonese Malay

Etymology

Pronoun

Alternative forms

References

Asturian

Etymology

Noun

Catalan

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

Further reading

Czech

Etymology

Noun

Faroese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Galician

Etymology

Noun

Icelandic

Noun

Declension

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Noun

Noun

Italian

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

Etymology 2

Noun

Anagrams

Japanese

Romanization

Latin

Etymology 1

Noun

Declension

Descendants

Etymology 2

Noun

References

Malay

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Pronoun

See also

Etymology 2

Noun

Old Irish

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Verb

Polish

Pronunciation