Know Your Greek Alphabet Know Your Greek Alphabet  |
ALPHA | 1. The first one; the beginning. 2. (Chemistry) The first position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or radical may be substituted. 3. (Astronomy) The brightest or main star in a constellation. 4. The mathematical estimate of the return on a security when the return on the market as a whole is zero. Alpha is derived from a in the formula Ri = a + bRm, which measures the return on a security (Ri) for a given return on the market (Rm) where b is beta. 5. Being the highest ranked or most dominant individual of one's sex. Used of social animals: the alpha female of the wolf pack. 6. (Chemistry) Closest to the functional group of atoms in an organic molecule. 7. A boys name, pronounced in a strange accent. |
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BETA | 1. The second item in a series or system of classification. 2. 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. 3. (Physics) A beta particle. 4. (Physics) A beta ray. 5. (Chemistry) The second position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted. 6. (Chemistry) An isomeric variation of a chemical compound. Used in combination: beta-estradiol. 7. (Computer) Science A beta version. 8. A cry of delight usually partaken by a person who has just triumphed over a member of the female gender |
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GAMMA | 1. The third item in a series or system of classification. 2. A unit of magnetic intensity equal to one hundred thousandth (10-5) of an oersted. 3. A unit of mass equal to one millionth (10-6) of a gram. 4. (Chemistry) The third position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted. 5. A girls name, possibly as would be pronounced by a baby or young child. |
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DELTA | 1. An object shaped like a triangle. 2. A usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river. 3. A similar deposit at the mouth of a tidal inlet, caused by tidal currents. 4. (Mathematics) A finite increment in a variable. 5. An area of the south-central United States extending on either side of the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee, to Vicksburg, Mississippi. An important cotton-producing region, it is noted for its folk culture, especially as the home of the earliest blues music. |
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EPSILON | 1. The second form of the lower case epsilon is used as the "set membership" symbol. 2. Not that city where the Hanging Gardens used to be. |
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ZETA | 1. Middle name of a famous Welsh actress. |
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ETA | 1. (Abbr.) Estimated Time of Arrival. 2. Possibly the reply of Hannibal Lecter, when asked what he did with a female victim. |
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THETA | 1. (Mathematics) Often used to denote an angle, especially in trigonometric functions. 2. A building, room, or outdoor structure for the presentation of plays, films, or other dramatic performances. 3. A large geographic area in which military operations are coordinated |
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IOTA | 1. A very small amount; a bit 2. A description that may be used by a certain mammal, perhaps called Tarka |
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KAPPA | 1. A maker of sports clothing and large fluorescent puffer jackets |
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LAMBDA | 1. A lambda baryon 2. Not the name of a young sheep |
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MU | 1. The noise a cow might make the morning after a big night out |
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NU | 1. Having been made or come into being only a short time ago; recent 2. One attempt made by Sir Bedevere in the movie Monty Python and The Holy Grail, when attempting to intimidate villagers by saying "Ni". |
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XI | 1. Either of two subatomic particles in the baryon family, one neutral and one negatively charged, with masses of 2,630 and 2,643 times that of the electron and average lifetimes of 2.9 × 10-10 and 1.6 × 10-10 seconds. 2. (Abbr.) (Business) Ex Interest |
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OMICRON | 1. What you would cry out if a part of the body existed called the 'cron' and you had just trapped it in a door. |
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PI | 1. (Mathematics) The lower-case Pi is universally used to represent that number which is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. 2. (Mathematics) The upper-case Pi is used as the "product" symbol. 3. (Printing) An amount of type that has been jumbled or thrown together at random. 4. (Abbr.) Private Investigator. 5. A baked food composed of a pastry shell filled with fruit, meat, cheese, or other ingredients, and usually covered with a pastry crust. 6. Any of various birds of the family Corvidae found worldwide, having a long graduated tail and black, blue, or green plumage with white markings and noted for their chattering call. The species Pica pica, the black-billed magpie, is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. 7. A monetary unit formerly in use in India and Pakistan. 8. An almanac of services used in the English church before the Reformation. |
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RHO | 1. A series of objects placed next to each other, usually in a straight line. 2. A succession without a break or gap in time: won the title for three years in a row. 3. A line of adjacent seats, as in a theater, auditorium, or classroom. 4. A continuous line of buildings along a street. 5. To propel a boat with or as if with oars |
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SIGMA | 1. (Mathematics) The capital Sigma is used as the "summation" symbol 2. A sigma factor. 3. A sigma baryon. |
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TAU | 1. An elementary particle of the lepton family, having a mass about 3,550 times that of the electron, a negative electric charge, and a mean lifetime of 3 × 10-13 seconds. 2. To draw or pull behind by a chain or line, in Birmingham, UK |
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UPSILON | 1. What you might say to a young child named Lon as they fell over. |
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PHI | 1. The second word in the war cry used by the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk. |
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CHI | 1. The vital force believed in Taoism and other Chinese thought to be inherent in all things. The unimpeded circulation of chi and a balance of its negative and positive forms in the body are held to be essential to good health in traditional Chinese medicine. |
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PSI | 1. Parapsychological phenomena or abilities considered as a group 2. (Abbr.) Pounds per Square Inch. |
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OMEGA | 1. Omega baryon 2. Omega meson 3. An exclamation in which the last word has been cut off. 4. The end. |