beta

See also: Beta, Běta, bêta, béta, bèta, and betą

Languages (26)

Ambonese Malay • Asturian • Catalan • Czech • Faroese • Galician • Guyanese Creole English • Icelandic • Indonesian • Italian • Jamaican Creole • Japanese • Latin • Makasar • Malay • Nigerian Pidgin • Old Irish • Polish • Portuguese • Romanian • Serbo-Croatian • Slovak • Spanish • Swedish • Vietnamese

Page categories

English

**Ancient Greek alphabet**
← alpha		→ gamma
Β β Ancient Greek: βῆτα
Wikipedia article on beta

Pronunciation

(UK) enPR: bēʹtə, IPA^(key): /ˈbiːtə/
(US) enPR: bāʹtə, IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪtə/, [ˈbeɪɾə]
(South Asia) enPR: bēʹtä, bāʹtä, IPA^(key): /ˈbiʈɑ/, /ˈbeʈɑ/
(Philippines) enPR: bĕʹtə, IPA^(key): /ˈbɛtə/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -iːtə, -eɪtə, (Philippines) -ɛtə
Homophones: beater (UK, non-rhotic); baiter (US, non-rhotic)

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic *bayt-

Phoenician 𐤁𐤕 (bt)bor.

Ancient Greek βῆτᾰ (bêtă)bor.

English beta

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτᾰ (bêtă). Doublet of beth.

Noun

beta (countable and uncountable, plural betas)

The second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, β), preceded by alpha (Α, α) and followed by gamma, (Γ, γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental fricative sound of v found in the English words have and vase.
(education, rare) An academic grade better than a gamma and worse than an alpha.
- 1957, R. Avery, “This Week’s Competition”, in Time & Tide‎^[2], volume 38, number 1, page 184:
  But let me tell you happy extroverts that only Vera Telfer and H. A. C. Evans got even an alpha minus; only T. E. Hendrie got a beta plus […]
- 1964, Randolph Churchill, The Fight for the Tory Leadership: A Contemporary Chronicle‎^[3], page 49:
  Mr Taylor would hardly give a beta minus to one of his history students […]
- 1979, Angus MacVicar, Silver in My Sporran: Confessions of a Writing Man‎^[4], page 76:
  The English class was for me delightful. My essays, still written under the influence of Kubla Khan, nearly always got a beta plus.
(finance) Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.
- 2001, Cheng-Few Lee, editor, Advances in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management, volume 8, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 143:
  An inspection of the results indicate that Property Trusts is the lowest risk industry with a long-run beta of 0.4520 while Gold is the highest risk industry with a long-run beta of 1.5229.
(computing, video games)
2. (uncountable) The phase of development after alpha testing and before launch, in which software, while not complete, has been released to potential users for testing.
  The company is offering a public beta program to test the software.
3. (countable) Software in such a phase; a preliminary version.
  - 2007, Michael Lopp, Managing Humans, page 107:
    He quickly deduced our goal—ship a quality beta—but he also quickly discerned that we had no idea about the quality of the product because of our pile of untriaged bugs.
  - 2007, Mark Summerfield, Rapid GUI Programming with Python and Qt: The Definitive Guide to PyQt Programming‎^[5], Pearson Education, →ISBN:
    We will assume you got the .tgz version—later 2.x series versions such as 2.5.2 or 2.6.0 should be okay, provided they are production releases (not alphas, betas, or release candidates).
  - 2015 February 14, Steven Strom, “Evolve Review: Middle of the food chain”, in Ars Technica‎^[6], archived from the original on 24 August 2026:
    Before Evolve had even seen its first beta, the game's publisher dipped its toe into presenting it as an eSport.
  - 2020 July 9, Jacob Krol, “Here’s how to get the iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 public beta”, in CNN‎^[7], Atlanta, Ga.: Warner Bros. Discovery, archived from the original on 31 March 2023:
    Apple is rolling out the public beta of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 on Thursday. We have a full (and lengthy) preview guide on both operating systems here, and now we’re breaking down how to get the public beta on your iPhone or iPad.
    These versions of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 are betas and don’t represent final software.
4. (proscribed, uncountable) Any kind of content from early development that was not used in the final product.
  beta levels; beta characters; beta items in a video game
(climbing) Information about a route which may aid someone in climbing it.
(physics) A beta particle or beta ray.
(aviation) Sideslip angle.
(aviation) The range of engine power settings in which the blade pitch angle of a constant-speed propeller is controlled directly by the angle of the engine's throttle lever (rather than varying with engine torque and airspeed to maintain a constant propeller RPM), allowing the propeller to be disked to generate high drag and slow the aircraft quickly.
Alternative spelling of betta (“fish in the genus Betta”).
(slang, manosphere, masculism) Ellipsis of beta male, a man who is less competent or desirable than an alpha male.
- 2006, Catherine Mann, Blaze of Glory‎^[8], Harlequin, published 2006, →ISBN:
  “I guess in your psychological language of alpha males and beta males, I would be firmly in the camp that prefers the more laid-back betas,” she took a deep breath, “like your father.”
- 2010, L. A. Banks, “Dog Tired (of the Drama!)”, in Kevin J. Anderson, editor, Blood Lite II: Overbite, Gallery Books, →ISBN, page 121:
  “They want sexy, virile alpha males, yes? But that doesn't come with sensitive and loyal and all of that. That's a beta. A frickin' collie, Lola. […]
- 2010, Terry Spear, Wolf Fever, Sourcebooks Casablanca, published 2010, →ISBN, page 24:
  She'd always had a thing for alpha males. Not that she had any intention of being bossed around, even if one had her best interests at heart. Her fascination with alphas was that they were a challenge. Betas didn't hold much of an appeal.
- 2015, Stephen Jarosek, Tyrants of Matriarchy:
  When they ride the cock carousel in preference to the responsible betas that they find so boring, well, we guess that they pay.
- 2018, Corey Pein, Live Work Work Work Die‎^[9]:
  News of Harper-Mercer's murder spree, which killed ten, prompted speculation on neoreactionary forums that the long-awaited “beta uprising” of virginal shut-ins had begun. Not quite. But in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, a large audience of Americans finally saw the real beta uprising in the violent Nazi rally that shut the city down
(fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, a person of a secondary sex similar to normal humans, lacking the biological drives of alphas and omegas but generally capable of bonding and mating with either.
- 2013, Kristina Busse, “Pon Farr, Mpreg, Bonds, and the Rise of the Omegaverse”, in Anne Jamison, editor, Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World, page 317:
  Many A/B/O stories posit societies where biological imperatives divide people based on wolf pack hierarchies into sexual dominants (alphas), sexual submissives (omegas), and everyone else (betas).
- 2017, Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega? Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 99:
  In ASD, the beta also functions as a contrast, as Yuri is assumed to be a beta before his first heat reveals his omega status.
- 2018, Laura Campillo Arnaiz, “When the Omega Empath Met the Alpha Doctor: An Analysis of Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics in the Hannibal Fandom”, in Ashton Spacey, editor, The Darker Side of Slash Fan Fiction, page 119:
  Betas are usually second in command to the reigning alpha, and omegas belong to the lowest caste of the social hierarchy.

Hyponyms

(unfinished software):

closed beta
open beta
paid beta
perpetual beta
public beta

Coordinate terms

(sideslip angle): alpha, gamma, theta

Derived terms

Translations

letter of the Greek alphabet

Arabic: بِيتَا f (betā), بِيتَا f (bītā)
Asturian: beta (ast) f
Bulgarian: бе́та f (béta)
Catalan: beta (ca) f
Chinese:
Cantonese: 啤打 (be¹ daa²)

Mandarin: 貝塔 / 贝塔 (zh) (bèitǎ)
Czech: beta (cs)
Danish: beta (da) n
Dutch: bèta (nl) f or m
Esperanto: beto (eo)
Faroese: beta n
Finnish: beeta (fi)
French: bêta (fr) m
Galician: beta (gl) m
Georgian: ბეტა (ka) (beṭa)
Greek: βήτα (el) n (víta)
Ancient Greek: βῆτα f (bêta)
Hebrew: בֵּיתָא (he) f (béta)
Hungarian: béta (hu)
Indonesian: beta (id)
Interlingua: beta
Irish: béite f
Italian: beta (it) f
Japanese: ベータ (ja) (bēta)
Korean: 베타 (ko) (beta)
Latin: bēta (la) n
Malay: beta (ms)
Māori: peta, peta
Persian: بتا (fa) (betâ)
Polish: beta (pl) f
Portuguese: beta (pt) m
Russian: бе́та (ru) f (bɛ́ta)
Slovak: beta f or n
Spanish: beta (es) f
Swedish: beta (sv)
Tagalog: beta
Thai: บีตา (bii-dtâa)
Turkish: beta (tr)
Ukrainian: бе́та (uk) f (béta)
Vietnamese: bêta (vi)

Adjective

beta (not comparable)

Identifying a molecular position in an organic chemical compound.
Designates the second in an order of precedence.
(computing) Preliminary; prerelease. Refers to an incomplete version of a product released for initial testing.
(of a person, object or action) Associated with the beta male/female archetype.

Derived terms

terms derived from beta (adjective)

Translations

beta

Bulgarian: бе́та (béta)
Dutch: bèta (nl) m or f
Esperanto: beta (eo)
Finnish: beeta (fi)
French: bêta (fr)
Georgian: ბეტა (ka) (beṭa)
Greek: βήτα (el) n (víta)
Hebrew: בֵּיתָא (he) f (béta)
Interlingua: beta
Italian: beta (it)
Japanese: ベータ (ja) (bēta)
Korean: 베타 (ko) (beta)
Persian: بتا (fa) (betâ)
Polish: beta (pl)
Portuguese: beta (pt) m
Russian: бе́та (ru) f (bɛ́ta)
Spanish: beta (es)
Swedish: beta (sv)
Vietnamese: bêta (vi)

Verb

beta (third-person singular simple present betas, present participle betaing, simple past and past participle betaed)

(computing) To preliminarily release computer software for initial testing prior to final release.
(chiefly Internet) To beta-read a text.
- 1999, sqira a., in alt.tv.x-files.creative [10]
  My thanks to Heather; who read it and betaed it. Thank you.
- 2000, Elizabeth Durack, quoted in Angelina I. Karpovich, “The Audience as Editor: The Role of Beta Readers in Online Fan Fiction Communities” (essay), in Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse (editors), Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet, McFarland (2006), →ISBN, page 180,
  Beta’ing is time-consuming, so asking a lot of people to give you a detailed analysis isn’t the most polite thing to do.
- 2002, Jane Davitt, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer.creative [11]
  The next part is written and beta'd (thanks, Jen!), ready to go but <shuffles feet> I haven't even started what should be the final part yet.
- 2002, Karmen Ghia, in alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated [12]
  I had the honor of betaing this story and as I was doing the first read through I had the odd, but lovely, experience when a story suspends the reader in its own rhythm and flow, its own reality.

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Prakrit 𑀩𑀺𑀝𑁆𑀝 (biṭṭa)

Middle Hindi بیٿا (byṭa)

Hindi बेटा (beṭā)bor.

English beta

Borrowed from Hindi बेटा (beṭā).

Noun

beta (countable and uncountable, plural betas)

(North India, Pakistan, colloquial, Hinglish) a term of endearment, used towards someone of equal or lower standing such as a friend or child, similar to brother or son
Don't pick that up, beta, it's dirty.

Anagrams

Bate, Teba, abet, bate, beat

Ambonese Malay

Alternative forms

bet, be

Etymology

From Classical Malay بيتا (beta, “I”).

Pronoun

beta

I first-person singular pronoun

References

D. Takaria, C. Pieter (1998), Kamus Bahasa Melayu Ambon-Indonesia‎^[13], Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa

Asturian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

beta (Greek letter)

Catalan

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈbe̞.tə]
IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [ˈbɛ.tə]
IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈbe.ta]

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

beta; the Greek letter Β (lowercase β)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Occitan beta.

Noun

beta f (plural betes)

boat; specifically a small, flat-bottom boat common to the coasts of Provence and Languedoc

Czech

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic *bayt-

Phoenician 𐤁𐤕 (bt)bor.

Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta)bor.

Czech beta

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈbɛta]

Noun

beta n or f

beta (Greek letter)

Declension

when feminine:

Declension of beta (hard feminine)

	singular	plural
nominative	beta	bety
genitive	bety	bet
dative	betě	betám
accusative	betu	bety
vocative	beto	bety
locative	betě	betách
instrumental	betou	betami

Indeclinable when neuter.

Faroese

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta), ultimately from Proto-Semitic *bayt- (“house”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈpeːʰta/
Rhymes: -eːʰta
Homophone: betað

Noun

beta n (genitive singular beta, plural betu)

beta (Greek letter)

Declension

n1	singular		plural
n1	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	beta	betað	betu, betur	betuni
accusative	beta	betað	betu, betur	betuni
dative	beta	betanum	betum	betunum
genitive	beta	betans	betna	betnanna

Derived terms

betageisli m
betageisling f

Galician

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic *bayt-

Phoenician 𐤁𐤕 (bt)bor.

Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta)bor.

Galician beta

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta m (plural betas)

beta (Greek letter)

Guyanese Creole English

Noun

beta

alternative spelling of baytah (“son”)

References

Henry, Edgar A. (2022), The Guyanese Slang Alphabet, Dorrance Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 41

Icelandic

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈpɛːta]

Noun

beta f (genitive singular betu, nominative plural betur) or
beta n (genitive singular beta, nominative plural betu)

beta (Greek letter)

Declension

Declension of *beta* (feminine)
	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	beta	betan	betur	beturnar
accusative	betu	betuna	betur	beturnar
dative	betu	betunni	betum	betunum
genitive	betu	betunnar	beta	betanna

Declension of *beta* (neuter)
	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	beta	betað	betu	betun
accusative	beta	betað	betu	betun
dative	beta	betanu	betum	betunum
genitive	beta	betans	beta	betanna

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay beta, possibly from Hindi बेटा (beṭā, “son”). Some linguists propose that this word is a native derivation due to the similarity in form with kita (“we (inclusive)”).

Pronunciation

(Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbeta/ [ˈbe.t̪a]
Rhymes: -eta
Syllabification: be‧ta

Noun

beta

(dialectal) I, me, my
Synonyms: aku, saya

Usage notes

The pronoun is obsolete in common use and limited in literature. It is also highly stereotypical of Maluku Islands (Moluccas) and East Nusa Tenggara.

Alternative forms

be (Kupang)

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Pronunciation

(Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbeta/ [ˈbe.t̪a]
Rhymes: -eta
Syllabification: be‧ta

Noun

beta (plural beta-beta)

beta (second letter of the Greek alphabet)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

(Standard Indonesian)
- IPA^(key): /bəˈta/ [bəˈt̪a]
  - Rhymes: -a
- IPA^(key): /ˈbeta/ [ˈbe.t̪a]
  - Rhymes: -eta
Syllabification: be‧ta

Noun

bêta or beta

abbreviation of benda terbang aneh (“unidentified flying object”)

References

Adelaar, K. A. (1992), Proto-Malayic: The reconstruction of its phonology and parts of its lexicon and morphology‎^[14], Canberra: The Australian National University

Italian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ.ta/
Rhymes: -ɛta
Hyphenation: bè‧ta

Etymology 1

From Latin bēta, from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f (invariable)

the name of the Greek script letter Β/β; beta
(computing) beta (software version)

Derived terms

betacismo

Related terms

bet

Etymology 2

From Latin bēta (“beet”), from Celtic.

Noun

beta f (plural bete)

alternative form of bieta; beet

Anagrams

beat, tabe

Jamaican Creole

Adjective

beta

comparative degree of gud: better
- 2012, Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment, Edinburgh: DJB, published 2012, →ISBN, Matyu 11:15:
  Enibadi we av iez — beta lisn gud!
  Anybody who has ears – better listen good!

Japanese

Romanization

beta

Rōmaji transcription of ベタ

Latin

Etymology 1

Said by some sources to be of Celtic origin,^[1]^[2]^[3] but no obvious Celtic cognates exist; Ernout and Meillet adduce an apparently apocryphal Irish biatuis as cognate.^[1] Also compared are blitum (“spinach”), meta (“conic heap of stones”) (compared to the root's spindle form), and less likely, sense 2, with the seed vessel resembling the letter.

Noun

bēta f (genitive bētae); first declension

A beet.

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	bēta	bētae
genitive	bētae	bētārum
dative	bētae	bētīs
accusative	bētam	bētās
ablative	bētā	bētīs
vocative	bēta	bētae

Descendants

Catalan: bleda (partially), bleda-rave
French: bette, betterave, blette (partially)
- Galician: beterraba
- Portuguese: beterraba
- Spanish: betarraga (Chile), beterraga (Chile), beterava (Western Argentina)
Irish: biatas
Italian: bieta (partially), bietola
Norman: betterave
Sicilian: jiti (Southern East of Sicily) (it is probably pluralia tantum but preceded by definite article "a")
→ Proto-West Germanic: *bētā (see there for further descendants)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic *bayt-

Phoenician 𐤁𐤕 (bt)bor.

Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta)bor.

Latin beta

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

bēta n (indeclinable)

The Greek letter beta.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Ernout, Alfred; Meillet, Antoine (1985), “bēta, -ae”, in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine: histoire des mots‎^[1] (in French), 4th edition, with additions and corrections of Jacques André, Paris: Klincksieck, published 2001, page 69
^ James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Beta”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.
^ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “beet”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Makasar

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbeta/, [ˈɓe.t̪ʰa]
Hyphenation: be‧ta

Adjective

beta (Lontara spelling ᨅᨙᨈ or 𑻤𑻵𑻦)

conquered (of a country)
Ia-iannamo tau beta buttana
All those whose land is conquered.
fallen (of a fortress)
Betana Sombaopu ― When Sombaopu had fallen.
taken away; removed (of goods)
evacuated (of a country)

Verb

beta (Lontara spelling ᨅᨙᨈ or 𑻤𑻵𑻦, semi-transitive ammeta, passive nibeta)

(transitive) to take; to conquer
24.VI.1669 nabeta Sombopu
On 24.VI.1669 they took Sombaopu.

28.X.1705 nanikana nibetami Kartasura naempoia Karaeng Matarang riBalandaia
On 28.X.1705 it is told that Kartasura, the seat of the prince of Mataram, was taken by the Dutch.
(transitive, passive voice) to lose (e.g., money in a game)
Nibetai rua rupia
They lost two guilders.

Derived terms

affixations

Malay

Pronunciation

(Etymology 1):
- (Southern Peninsular Malaysia Standard) IPA^(key): [be.tə]
  - Audio (Malaysia): (file)
  - Rhymes: -etə, -tə, -ə
- (Literary Standard) IPA^(key): [be.ta]
  - Audio (Malaysia): (file)
  - Rhymes: -eta, -ta, -a
(Etymology 2):
- (Literary Standard, Southern Peninsular Malaysia Standard) IPA^(key): [be.ta]
  - Audio (Malaysia): (file)
  - Rhymes: -eta, -ta, -a
Hyphenation: be‧ta

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

beta (Jawi spelling بيتا)

(Palace Malay) I, me, my (exclusive use in royalty, subject is either king or queen)
Synonyms: aku (informal), saya (polite), patik (used when talking to king/queen)

Derived terms

berbeta

Compounds

sahabat beta

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English beta.

Noun

beta (Jawi spelling بيتا, plural beta-beta)

beta (second letter of the Greek alphabet)

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰed-der.

Proto-Germanic *bataz

Proto-Germanic *batiz

Proto-Indo-European *-yōs

Proto-Germanic *-izô

Proto-Germanic *batizô

Proto-West Germanic *batiʀō

Old English betera

Middle English bettre

English better

Nigerian Pidgin beta

Inherited from English better.

Adjective

beta

good, better
- 2024 January 11, Tamara Ebiwei, “'Dem tiff my pikin three hours afta I born am for hospital'”, in BBC News Pidgin‎^[15], archived from the original on 10 February 2024:
  Dis hospital na one of di biggest hospitals for Lafia, wey get beta security. But one unknown woman allegedly tiff Mrs Wosilat Suleiman pikin.
  This hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Lafia, with good security. However, an unknown woman allegedly stole Mrs. Wosilat Suleiman's child.

Old Irish

Alternative forms

bete

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bʲe.d̪a/

Verb

beta

third-person plural present subjunctive relative of is
- c. 845, St Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 207^b11
  Cit comṡuidigthi la Grécu ní écen dúnni beta comṡuidigthi linn.
  Although they are compounds in Greek (lit. “with the Greeks”), it is not necessary for us that they be compounds in our language (lit. “with us”).

Polish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ.ta/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɛta
Syllabification: be‧ta

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic *bayt-

Phoenician 𐤁𐤕 (bt)bor.

Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta)lbor.

Polish beta

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta f

beta (Greek letter Β, β)

Declension

Declension of *beta*
	singular	plural
nominative	beta	bety
genitive	bety	bet
dative	becie	betom
accusative	betę	bety
instrumental	betą	betami
locative	becie	betach
vocative	beto	bety

Derived terms

nouns

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

beta m inan

genitive singular of bet

Portuguese

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ.tɐ/

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ.tɐ/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin beta, from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta). The slang sense is a semantic loan from English beta.

Noun

beta m (countable and uncountable, plural betas)

beta
1. the second letter of the Greek alphabet
2. (uncountable, software engineering) the phase of development after alpha and before launch
3. (finance) an indicator of a security's price volatility
  Synonyms: índice beta, coeficiente beta
4. (aviation) sideslip angle
5. (Internet slang, derogatory) beta male
  Synonyms: homem beta, macho beta

Derived terms

betar

Adjective

beta (invariable)

beta (all senses)

Derived terms

cidade beta
coeficiente beta
decaimento beta
distribuição beta
emissão beta
homem beta
índice beta
macho beta
partícula beta
radiação beta
raios beta
teste beta
versão beta

Etymology 2

Borrowed from taxonomic name Betta.

Noun

beta m (plural betas)

(uncommon) alternative form of betta

Etymology 3

Verb

beta

inflection of betar:
1. third-person singular present indicative
2. second-person singular imperative

Etymology 4

Noun

beta f (plural betas)

female equivalent of beto

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French bêta.

Noun

beta m (plural beta)

beta (Greek letter)

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	beta	betaul	beta	betai
genitive-dative	beta	betaului	beta	betalor
vocative	betaule		betalor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bêta/
Hyphenation: be‧ta

Noun

bȅta f (Cyrillic spelling бе̏та)

beta, the Greek letter, Β, β

Declension

Declension of *beta*
	singular	plural
nominative	beta	bete
genitive	bete	beta
dative	beti	betama
accusative	betu	bete
vocative	beto	bete
locative	beti	betama
instrumental	betom	betama

Slovak

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic *bayt-

Phoenician 𐤁𐤕 (bt)bor.

Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta)bor.

Slovak beta

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /beta/, [ˈbeta]
Rhymes: -eta
Hyphenation: be‧ta

Noun

beta f (genitive singular bety, nominative plural bety, genitive plural biet, declension pattern of žena) OR
beta n

beta (Greek letter)

Usage notes

When used in the neuter gender, the word is not declined.

Declension

Declension of *beta*
(pattern *žena*)
	singular	plural
nominative	beta	bety
genitive	bety	biet
dative	bete	betám
accusative	betu	bety
locative	bete	betách
instrumental	betou	betami

References

“beta”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbeta/ [ˈbe.t̪a]
Rhymes: -eta
Syllabification: be‧ta
Homophone: veta

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta) ultimately from Proto-Semitic *bayt- (“house”).

Noun

beta f (plural betas)

beta; the Greek letter Β, β

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Perhaps from Betamax.

Noun

beta m (plural betas)

(Venezuela, slang) matter, issue, thing, situation, gossip
sendo beta ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

tremendo beta ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Swedish

Etymology 1

Latin bēta, from Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta).

Noun

beta n or c

beta; the Greek letter Β, β
(computing) a beta version of a program
(slang) short for minnesbeta

Declension

Declension of **beta**
		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	beta	betas
singular	definite	betat	betats
plural	indefinite	beta	betas
plural	definite	betan	betans

Declension of **beta**
		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	beta	betas
singular	definite	betan	betans
plural	indefinite	betor	betors
plural	definite	betorna	betornas

Verb

beta (present betar, preterite betade, supine betat, imperative beta)

to test software prior to release

Conjugation

Conjugation of *beta* (weak)
	active		passive
infinitive	beta		betas
supine	betat		betats
imperative	beta		—
imper. plural¹	beten		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	betar	betade	betas	betades
ind. plural¹	beta	betade	betas	betades
subjunctive²	bete	betade	betes	betades

present participle		betande
past participle		betad

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Etymology 2

Ultimately from Latin bēta (“beet”).

Noun

beta c

beetroot

Declension

Declension of **beta**
		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	beta	betas
singular	definite	betan	betans
plural	indefinite	betor	betors
plural	definite	betorna	betornas

Etymology 3

bete +‎ -a

en **betande** åsna [a **grazing** donkey]

Verb

beta (present betar, preterite betade, supine betat, imperative beta)

to graze; to eat grass; to feed on growing herbage.

Conjugation

Conjugation of *beta* (weak)
	active		passive
infinitive	beta		betas
supine	betat		betats
imperative	beta		—
imper. plural¹	beten		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	betar	betade	betas	betades
ind. plural¹	beta	betade	betas	betades
subjunctive²	bete	betade	betes	betades

present participle		betande
past participle		betad

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Etymology 4

Clipping of betaga; be- +‎ ta. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɛˈtɑː/

Verb

beta (present betar, preterite betog, supine betagit, imperative beta)

to steal

Conjugation

Conjugation of *beta* (class 6 strong)
	active		passive
infinitive	beta		betas
supine	betagit		betagits
imperative	beta		—
imper. plural¹	betan		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	betar	betog	betas	betogs
ind. plural¹	beta	betogo	betas	betogos
subjunctive²	beta	betoge	betas	betoges

present participle		betagande
past participle		betagen

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Conjugation of *betaga* (class 6 strong, dated)
	active		passive
infinitive	betaga		betagas
supine	betagit		betagits
imperative	betag		—
imper. plural¹	betagen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	betager	betog	betages	betogs
ind. plural¹	betaga	betogo	betagas	betogos
subjunctive²	betage	betoge	betages	betoges

present participle		betagande
past participle		betagen

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

References

“beta”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
“beta”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
“beta”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Vietnamese

Etymology

Internationalism, ultimately from Ancient Greek βῆτᾰ (bêtă).

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓe˧˧ taː˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓej˧˧ taː˧˧]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓej˧˧ taː˧˧]
Phonetic spelling: bê ta

Noun

beta

beta; the Greek letter Β, β

[EM-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Ernout, Alfred; Meillet, Antoine (1985), “bēta, -ae”, in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine: histoire des mots‎^[1] (in French), 4th edition, with additions and corrections of Jacques André, Paris: Klincksieck, published 2001, page 69

[2] James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Beta”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.

[3] Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “beet”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

[1]

[2]

[3]

		singular	plural
1st person	long	beta	katóng, batóng¹
1st person	short	bet	tong
2nd person	long	ose, ale	dorang, ngoni
2nd person	short	os, se, al	dong, ngo
3rd person	long	dia, ontua², akang²	dorang
3rd person	short	ontó², kang²	dong
possessive		pe
reflexive		diri
emphatic		sandiri

	Singular	Plural
1^st person	saya¹ aku³	kita⁴ kami^{2 & 5} kita orang^{3 & 5}
2^nd person	awak¹ anda² awda⁸ (eng)kau³ kamu³	(2^nd person) + semua⁶ kalian² (eng)kau orang³
3^rd person	dia ia beliau⁷ -nya²	mereka² dia orang³

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Hyponyms

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Adjective

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

Etymology 2

Noun

Anagrams

Ambonese Malay

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronoun

See also

References

Asturian

Etymology

Noun

Catalan

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

Further reading

Czech

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Faroese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Galician

Etymology

Noun

Guyanese Creole English

Noun

References

Icelandic

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes

Alternative forms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Noun

References

Further reading

Italian

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

Etymology 2

Noun

Anagrams

Jamaican Creole

Adjective

Japanese

Romanization