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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

alpha.

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.

5 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈæl.fə/General-American, Received-Pronunciation[ˈæɫ.fə]General-American, Received-Pronunciation/ˈæːl.fɑː/India/ˈɑːl.fɑː/India
  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.

    countable · uncountable
  2. Latin alpha: the Latin letter Ɑ (minuscule: ɑ).

    countable · uncountable
  3. The name of the symbols Α and α used in science and mathematics, often interchangeable with the symbols when used as a prefix.

    countable · uncountable
    I will attempt to make an alpha particle ("α-particle") with the Large Hadron Collider.
  4. The return of a given asset or portfolio adjusted for systematic risk.

    countable · uncountable
  5. A person, especially a male, who is dominant, successful and attractive; (see alpha male).

    countable · uncountable
  6. Clipping of alphabet.

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · countable · informal · uncountable
  7. The first versions of a program, usually only available to the developer, and only tested by the developer.

    countable · uncountable
  8. An angle of attack.

    countable · uncountable
  9. The level of translucency of a color, as determined by the alpha channel.

    countable · uncountable
  10. Ellipsis of alpha layer.

    abbreviation · alt-of · countable · ellipsis · uncountable
  11. The significance level of a statistical test; the alpha level.

    countable · uncountable
  12. In omegaverse fiction, a person of a dominant secondary sex driven by biology, magic, or other means to bond with an omega, with males of this type often having canine-like genitalia.

    countable · slang · uncountable
  13. Alternative letter-case form of Alpha (“member of Generation Alpha”).

    alt-of · countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Semitic *ʔalp- Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐 (ʾlp)bor. Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha)bor. English alpha From the Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha), the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”). Doublet of alif and aleph.

adj/ˈæl.fə/General-American, Received-Pronunciation[ˈæɫ.fə]General-American, Received-Pronunciation/ˈæːl.fɑː/India/ˈɑːl.fɑː/India
  1. Designates the first in an order of precedence.

    not-comparable
    I am the alpha male.
  2. Exhibiting characteristics of the alpha male/female archetype.

    not-comparable
  3. Designates some bright star, usually the brightest star, of a constellation.

    not-comparable
    When interstellar travel becomes feasible, I plan to visit Alpha Centauri.
  4. Clipping of alphabetical.

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · not-comparable
    Sort the list in alpha order.
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Semitic *ʔalp- Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐 (ʾlp)bor. Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha)bor. English alpha From the Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha), the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”). Doublet of alif and aleph.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.