beta

1 of 2

noun

be·​ta ˈbā-tə How to pronounce beta (audio)
 chiefly British  ˈbē-
plural betas
1
: the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet see Alphabet Table
2
: something or someone designated with the name beta or the Greek letter β especially denoting the second in position, order, or class
3
: a nearly complete prototype of a product (such as software)
the beta version
also : a stage of development in which a product is nearly complete but not yet ready for release
The app is still in beta.
4
: beta particle
beta emissions
5
: a measure of the risk potential of a stock or an investment portfolio expressed as a ratio of the stock's or portfolio's volatility to the volatility of the market as a whole
Beta measures a stock's price volatility—or risk—compared with the market in general …Marlys J. Harris
6
: beta wave
The findings could also help scientists better understand other beta-associated disorders, such as Parkinson's disease or obsessive compulsive disorder …Brown University News Release (Providence, Rhode Island)

beta

2 of 2

adjective

: second in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom
beta substitution
often used in combination
symbol β

Examples of beta in a Sentence

Noun a program that is currently in beta
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Following its closed beta launch in 2023, Bluesky has gradually added new features, such as custom feeds and the ability to host servers, with more on the way. Emma Roth, The Verge, 12 Mar. 2024 Beginning his act while seated in the audience, with a cowboy hat obscuring his impossibly angular features, Gosling was in character as the woebegone Ken, a macho hunk doomed to play beta in the toy netherworld of Barbie. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Or, since this is a beta, never make it to general release at all. David Phelan, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Taking vitamin E interferes with the absorption of the following drugs: tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotic medication, Thorazine, and beta blockers. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024 The Adobe Express mobile app beta is available on the Google Play Store for Android, but iOS users will need to sign up here due to restrictions Apple places on the number of beta users. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 7 Mar. 2024 But in follow-up scans five months later, their brains were teeming with an abnormal protein called beta amyloid that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Dave Philipps, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Strands, the new word-search game still in beta, seems to fuse some of the best features of Wordle, Connections, and the crosswords. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024 The product, now operating in beta, will launch in the general market later this year. William Earl, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Microsoft made a downloadable ISO disk image file for the beta Insider version available for installing Windows 11, allowing in-place upgrades or clean installations on a PC or in a virtual machine. PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024 Their cheerful orange color comes from beta carotene, which supports healthy eyesight. Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 27 Jan. 2024 In two months, Jones had a beta site up and running in 2021. Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Plus, beta radiation isn't as harmful as, say, gamma rays. Rhett Allain, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024 The former product, while featuring some beta multimodal audio AI features and a camera, doesn’t have any visual AR elements. Victoria Song, The Verge, 27 Feb. 2024 The update will launch in iOS and iPad OS 17.4 and macOS 14.4 after previously being deployed in the beta versions of the software. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2024 Along the way, Staples made cinematic music videos and even a beta version of The Vince Staples Show on YouTube. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2024 Homey Pro is also already Thread-ready and has beta support for Matter, too. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 11 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beta.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English betha, from Latin beta, from Greek bēta, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew bēth beth

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beta was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near beta

Cite this Entry

“Beta.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beta. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

beta

noun
be·​ta
ˈbāt-ə
: the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet
Β or β

Medical Definition

beta

1 of 2 noun
be·​ta
ˈbāt-ə, chiefly British ˈbē-tə
1
: the second letter of the Greek alphabet
symbol Β or β
2
3

beta

2 of 2 adjective
variants or β-
1
: of or relating to one of two or more closely related chemical substances
the beta chain of hemoglobin
β-yohimbine
used somewhat arbitrarily to specify ordinal relationship or a particular physical form and especially one that is allotropic, isomeric, stereoisomeric, or sometimes polymeric (as in β-D-glucose)
2
: second in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom
also : occurring at or having a structure characterized by such a position
beta substitution
3
: producing a zone of decolorization when grown on blood media
used of some hemolytic streptococci or of the hemolysis they cause

More from Merriam-Webster on beta

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