Translingual

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈælfɑ]
• Hyphenation: Al‧pha

Symbol

Alpha

1. The letter A in the ICAO spelling alphabet.

English

Proper noun

Alpha

1. A placename
   1. A ghost town in California, USA
   2. A village in Illinois, USA
   3. A village in Michigan, USA
   4. A city/village in Minnesota, USA
   5. A borough in New Jersey, USA
   6. A town in Queensland, Australia.
   7. (obsolete) Former name for the International Space Station

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈalfa]
• Hyphenation: Al‧pha

Noun

Alpha n ‎(genitive Alpha or Alphas, plural Alphas)

1. alpha (Greek letter)

Declension

English

Ancient Greek Alphabet

—		→ beta
Α α Ancient Greek: ἄλφα
Wikipedia article on alpha

Noun

alpha ‎(countable and uncountable, plural alphas)

1. The name of the first letter of the Greek alphabet (Α,  α), followed by beta. In the Latin alphabet it is the predecessor to A.
2. Latin alpha
3. (sciences) The name of the symbols Α and α used in science and mathematics, often interchangeable with the symbols when used as a prefix.

   I will attempt to make an alpha particle ("α-particle") with the large hadron collider.

4. (finance) The return of a given asset or portfolio adjusted for systematic risk.
5. An alpha male.
   • 2008, Faye Flam, The Score: How the Quest for Sex Has Shaped the Modern Man, Avery (2008), ISBN 9781436225786, unnumbered page:

     Being a beta male in a species with alphas doesn't mean you have to sit out the mating game.

   • 2008, The New Black Lace Book of Women's Sexual Fantasies (ed. Mitzi Szereto), Black Lace (2008), ISBN 9780352341723, page 38:

     I'm still turned on by alpha males. I think there are only a couple of other men that turn me on . . . ones that are clearly not alphas.

   • 2009, Martin G. Groder & Pat Webster, Winning at Love: The Alpha Male's Guide to Relationship Success, Bascom Hill Books (2009), ISBN 9781935456049, page ix:

     This book is primarily for alpha males, or “top dogs.” We'll talk more about that later; but let's just say that if you are a man and successful in the world of trade, business, or profession, most likely you are an alpha, or you have been trained to act like an alpha.

6. (informal, abbreviation) Alphabet.
7. (software engineering) The first versions of a program, usually only available to the developer, and only tested by the developer.
8. (computer graphics) The level of translucency of a color, as determined by the alpha channel.

Derived terms

See also

• Alpha (investment) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Translations

Adjective

alpha ‎(not comparable)

1. Designates the first in an order of precedence.

   I am the alpha male.

2. (person, object or action) exhibiting characteristics of the alpha male/female archetype.
3. (astronomy) Designates the brightest star in a constellation.

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

Derived terms

Related terms

• alphabet
• alphabet soup
• alphabetical
• alphabetical order
• alphanumeric

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al.fa/

Noun

alpha m ‎(plural alpha)

1. alpha (Greek letter)

Interlingua

Noun

alpha

1. alpha

Latin

Etymology

From Greek ἄλφα ‎(álpha)

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈal.pʰa/, [ˈaɫ.pʰa]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈal.fa/

Noun

alpha n ‎(indeclinable)

1. alpha

References

• alpha in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• alpha in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ALPHA in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “alpha”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.