Definitions for Alpha
ˈæl fəAl·pha

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. alpha(noun)

   the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet

2. alpha(adj)

   the beginning of a series or sequence

   "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end"--Revelations

3. alpha(adj)

   first in order of importance

   "the alpha male in the group of chimpanzees"; "the alpha star in a constellation is the brightest or main star"

4. alpha(adj)

   early testing stage of a software or hardware product

   "alpha version"

Wiktionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. alpha(Noun)

   The name of the first letter of the Greek alphabet (u0391, u03B1), followed by beta. In the Latin alphabet it is the predecessor to A.

   Etymology: From the , the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician aleph.

2. alpha(Noun)

   Latin alpha

   Etymology: From the , the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician aleph.

3. alpha(Noun)

   The name of the symbols u0391 and u03B1 used in science and mathematics, often interchangeable with the symbols when used as a prefix.

   Etymology: From the , the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician aleph.

4. alpha(Noun)

   The return of a given asset or portfolio adjusted for systematic risk.

   Etymology: From the , the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician aleph.

5. alpha(Noun)

   An alpha male.

   Etymology: From the , the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician aleph.

6. alpha(Noun)

   Alphabet.

   Etymology: From the , the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician aleph.

7. alpha(Adjective)

   Designates the first in an order of precedence.

   I am the alpha male.

   Etymology: From the , the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician aleph.

8. alpha(Adjective)

   Designates the brightest star in a constellation.

   When space travel becomes feasible, I plan to visit Alpha Centauri.

   Etymology: From the , the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician aleph.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Alpha(noun)

   the first letter in the Greek alphabet, answering to A, and hence used to denote the beginning

   Etymology: [L. alpha, Gr. 'a`lfa, from Heb. leph, name of the first letter in the alphabet, also meaning ox.]

Freebase(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Alpha

   Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter aleph . Letters that arose from alpha include the Latin A and the Cyrillic letter А. In English, the noun "alpha" is used as a synonym for "beginning", or "first", reflecting its Greek roots.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Alpha

   al′fa, n. the first letter of the Greek alphabet: the first or beginning. [Gr. alpha—Heb. aleph, an ox, the name of the first letter of the Phœnician and Hebrew alphabet. See A.]

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. alpha

   The alpha symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the alpha symbol and its characteristic.

2. alpha

   Song lyrics by alpha -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by alpha on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Alpha' in Nouns Frequency: #2826

How to pronounce Alpha?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say Alpha in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Alpha in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Alpha in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of Alpha in a Sentence

1. Peter Rup:

   It was the last remaining bastion of alpha and a sector where many hedge funds were hiding. Now it has succumbed.

2. Viviane Labrie:

   Alpha-synuclein is a protein that doesn't like to stay put. It's able to move from neuron to neuron, and it has been shown that it can travel.

3. Brandi Redmond on the show:

   I think she is only comfortable if she has power and I felt like that the entire season, if she is in control and has power and then everyone is agreeing with her, she is easy. But the moment she feels so doesn't have control, it’s like she’s trying to get you in line. And I feel like that is what she was trying to do to me. She wanted to make sure she was the alpha at all times.

4. Douglas Adams:

   In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.

5. Deodatta V. Shenai-Khatkhate:

   Schrodinger's Cat is a classic example of Paradox, in my view. In actuality, it was a Gedankenexperiment or a Thought Experiment, created by Austrian Physicist Erwin Schrodinger in 1935. Not many folks are probably aware that Schrodinger himself called that experiment “a ridiculous case.” Here’s the "Schrodinger's Cat" in Schrodinger's own words: “A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): In a Geiger Counter, there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small, that perhaps in the course of the hour one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none. If it (i.e. decay) happens, the Geiger Counter discharges and through a relay releases a hammer that shatters a small flask of Hydrogen Cyanide. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has (undergone) radioactive decay.” So you see, the cat's life or death truly depends on the formation of a subatomic alpha particle that triggers off the avalanche of electrons in the Geiger Counter. There is an equal probability that it may not happen, and hence the cat should remain both alive and dead per Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. Philosophically speaking, Human Life is full of paradoxes, and we often find that the uncertainties therein bear a startling resemblance with Schrodinger's Cat experiment. The total randomness of events that shape our human lives, and determinedly control the outcome (i.e. future) can be extremely perplexing and equally thought-provoking as Schrodinger's Cat experiment....a pre-written and pre-destined Reductio ad absurdum perhaps!

Images & Illustrations of Alpha

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