beta

noun13

1. •
   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.
2. •
   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. •
   Software in such a phase; a preliminary version.

   • 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
4. •
   (slang) Ellipsis of beta male, a man who is less competent or desirable than an alpha male.

   • “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.” — 2006
5. •
   A beta particle or beta ray.
6. •
   Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.

   • 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. — 2001
7. •
   (India, informal) 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.
8. •
   (nonstandard) Any kind of content from early development that was not used in the final product.
9. •
   Information about a route which may aid someone in climbing it.
10. •
    (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.

    • 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). — 2013
11. •
    (rare) An academic grade better than a gamma and worse than an alpha.

    • 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 […] — 1957
12. •
    Sideslip angle.
13. •
    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.

adjective4

1. •
   Designates the second in an order of precedence.
2. •
   Preliminary; prerelease. Refers to an incomplete version of a product released for initial testing.
3. •
   Associated with the beta male/female archetype.
4. •
   Identifying a molecular position in an organic chemical compound.

verb2

1. •
   To preliminarily release computer software for initial testing prior to final release.
2. •
   (Internet) To beta-read a text.

   • My thanks to Heather; who read it and betaed it. Thank you. — 1999

noun1

1. •
   A member of Generation Beta.

   • For the Betas, AI and robots will be a normal part of life for them. — 2024