beta English · revision 6862

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1300|origins=grc βῆτα}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈbiːtə/, /ˈbeɪtə/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|bēta]], from [[grc|βῆτα|tr=bêta]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(SOED 2002) of Semitic origin, akin to Hebrew [[m|he|בית|tr=bēth|t=the second letter; house]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline) a letter first drawn as a house.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The second letter of the Greek alphabet: before 1300 in the OED, before 1325, in ''Cursor Mundi'', in Barnhart.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It came to mark the second of many things, as in classifications (1867) and in astronomy for the second-brightest star of a constellation.^(OED 1989)^(SOED 2002) ''Beta radiation'' was named by Rutherford in 1899, and the beta particle is from 1904.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The ''beta version'' of a product, released for testing by users, and the pejorative ''beta male'', a follower rather than a leader, are modern uses.^(Collins 2023)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1300 – the Greek letter.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1867 – second in a classification.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1899 – beta radiation.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The second letter of the Greek [[alphabet]] (Β, β).^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The second in a series or classification.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(computing)'' A version of software released to users for testing before final release.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(physics)'' Relating to [[electron|alt=electrons]] emitted in radioactive decay: ''beta particles''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[beta-lactamase]]

+ * [[betamethasone]]

+ * [[beta-naphthol]]

+ * [[beta-test]]

+ * [[beta-thalassemia]]

+ * [[betatron]]

+ * [[labetalol]]

+ * [[beta-blocker]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[alpha]]

+ * [[alphabet]]

+ * [[gamma]]

+ * [[delta]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}