# alpha

Pronunciation: say "AL-fuh" /ˈælfə/

## Noun

1. The first letter of the Greek alphabet (Α, α), which comes before beta and was the forerunner of the Latin letter A.
   - Simple: The first letter of the Greek alphabet, written Α or α. Our letter A grew out of it.
   - _Greek schoolchildren learn their letters in order, starting with alpha and ending with omega._
   - _A capital alpha looks exactly like a Latin A, but the lowercase form is rounder._
2. A person, especially a man, who is dominant, successful, and attractive.
   - Simple: A person, often a man, who is successful and attractive and likes to be in charge.
   - _He walks into every meeting like an alpha, and most of the room defers to him._
   - _The dating coach promised to turn shy men into confident alphas._
4. The earliest version or versions of a program, usually available only to the developer and tested by no one else.
   - Simple: A very early version of a computer program, usually used and tested only by the people making it.
   - _Only the core developers had access to the alpha, which still lacked half the planned features._
   - _Don't install alphas or betas on a production server; wait for a stable release._
5. The name of the symbol Α or α as used in science and mathematics; as a prefix, the written name and the symbol are often interchangeable.
   - Simple: The name of the sign α or Α in science and math, often written out in place of the sign.
   - _Radon gives off alpha radiation, which is dangerous mainly when the gas is breathed in._
   - _In the proof, alpha stands for the angle between the two vectors._
7. Alternative letter-case form of Alpha, meaning a member of Generation Alpha.
   - Simple: Another way to write Alpha, starting with a small letter. It means a person who is part of Generation Alpha.
   - _A zoomer and an alpha can share a household and still have completely different streaming habits._
   - _Teachers say the average alpha arrived at kindergarten already fluent in touchscreens._
9. The return on a particular asset or portfolio after it has been adjusted for systematic risk.
   - Simple: How much an investment earns once you take into account the risk that comes from the market as a whole.
   - _After fees, the fund generated almost no alpha over the decade._
   - _Analysts compared the alphas of the two portfolios to see which manager had added real value._
10. The degree of translucency of a color in a digital image, as set by the image's alpha channel.
   - Simple: How see-through a color is in a digital picture, set by its alpha channel.
   - _Set the overlay's alpha low enough that the photo beneath it stays visible._
   - _The exported file kept every pixel's alpha, so the soft edges of the logo blended into the page._
12. The significance level of a statistical test: the cutoff used to decide whether a result counts as statistically significant.
   - Simple: In statistics, the limit used to decide if a test result is probably not just chance.
   - _We set alpha at 0.01 to lower the risk of a false positive._
   - _Because the p-value fell just above the chosen alpha, the authors could not reject the null hypothesis._
13. Short for alpha layer. — Ellipsis of alpha layer.
   - Simple: Short form of alpha layer. Used when working with pictures on a computer.
   - _Export the icon as a PNG with alpha to keep its transparent edges._
   - _The video editor ignored the clip's alpha and filled the empty areas with black._
14. In aviation, the angle of attack: the angle at which a wing meets the oncoming airflow.
   - Simple: In flying, the angle at which a plane's wing meets the air coming toward it.
   - _Fighter jets can hold a very high alpha during tight turns._
   - _As airspeed dropped, the pilot increased alpha to keep the aircraft level._
15. In omegaverse fiction, someone belonging to the dominant secondary sex, compelled by biology, magic, or some other force to bond with an omega and, if male, often given canine-like genitals. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In omegaverse fan stories, a person of the strong, leading type, driven by nature or magic to bond with an omega.
   - _The fic flips the usual setup: the captain is an omega, and the shy navigator turns out to be an alpha._
   - _Fans argue over whether alphas in the omegaverse should be written as possessive or gentle._
16. The letter Ɑ (lowercase ɑ) of the Latin alphabet, also known as Latin alpha.
   - Simple: A letter of the Latin alphabet, written Ɑ as a capital and ɑ as a small letter.
   - _Phonetic transcriptions of American English often use an alpha, ɑ, for the vowel in “father.”_
   - _The keyboard layout gives the alpha its own key, so linguists can type ɑ without opening a character map._

## Adjective

3. Showing the typical qualities of an alpha male or alpha female; said of a person, an object, or an action.
   - Simple: Acting or looking like a strong, successful person who likes to be in charge.
   - _Closing the deal in ten minutes was an alpha move, and everyone in the office knew it._
   - _He tries to look alpha in his profile photos, all sharp suits and serious stares._
6. Holding first place in an order of rank or precedence.
   - Simple: First in rank, ahead of all the others in a group.
   - _Researchers watched the alpha chimpanzee break up fights within the troop._
   - _The pack's ranks shifted after the alpha female was injured._
8. Naming a bright star in a constellation, usually the constellation's brightest.
   - Simple: Marks a bright star in a group of stars, usually the brightest one.
   - _Even at a fraction of light speed, a probe would need decades to reach Alpha Centauri._
   - _Alpha Orionis is a red supergiant that marks one of Orion's shoulders._
11. Clipping of alphabetical. — Clipping of alphabetical.
   - Simple: Short form of alphabetical. Use it before a noun, as in alpha order.
   - _The spreadsheet can sort the client names in alpha order with one click._
   - _An alpha index at the back of the manual lists every command._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Clipping of alphabet.

## Origin

From Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha), the first letter of the Greek alphabet, which came from the Phoenician letter 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”). It is a doublet of alif and aleph.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/alpha (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).