alpha

al-pha · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    Dominant; being the leader.

  2. 2.

    The first letter of the Greek alphabet (A, a).

  3. 3.

    The beginning of something.

  4. 4.

    First or primary in a series.

  5. 5.

    The dominant individual in a group of animals or people.

  6. 6.

    [technology]An early version of a software product for testing.

  7. 7.

    [finance]A measure of an investment's performance relative to a benchmark.

Forms

plural: alphas

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    alpha and omega — The beginning and the end; the most important aspects.
  • •
    alpha male/female — The dominant individual in a social group.
  • •
    alpha version — An early test version of software.
  • •
    alpha particle — A type of radiation consisting of helium nuclei.

Related words

Antonyms: end, last, omega
See also: alphabet, beta, omega
Synonyms: beginning, first, leader

Etymology

From Greek alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from Phoenician aleph ("ox"), so called from the shape of the letter resembling an ox's head.