# alpha
## English
### Etymology

From the Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha), the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”). Doublet of alif and aleph.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈælfə/, [ˈæɫ.fə]
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ælfə

### Noun

alpha (countable and uncountable, plural alphas)
* 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.
* Latin alpha: the Latin letter Ɑ (minuscule: ɑ).
* (sciences) The name of the symbols Α and α used in science and mathematics, often interchangeable with the symbols when used as a prefix.
    I will attempt to make an alpha particle ("α-particle") with the Large Hadron Collider.
* (finance) The return of a given asset or portfolio adjusted for systematic risk.
    Coordinate term: beta
** 2001, Cheng-Few Lee, editor, Advances in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management, volume 8, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 174:Similarly, alphas are 2.33% larger than that of the equivalent monthly alphas using compounded returns while no changes can be found using arithmetic returns.
** 2011 July 18, John Cassidy, “Mastering the Machine”, in The New Yorker‎, →ISSN:To investment professionals, “alpha” is the return over and above the market return. If in a given year the S. & P. 500 returns fifteen per cent and an equity-fund manager generates a return of twenty per cent, his alpha is five per cent.
* A person, especially a male, who is dominant, successful and attractive; (see alpha male).
** 2008, Faye Flam, The Score: How the Quest for Sex Has Shaped the Modern Man‎, Avery, published 2008, →ISBN:Being a beta male in a species with alphas doesn't mean you have to sit out the mating game.
** 2008, Mitzi Szereto, editor, The New Black Lace Book of Women's Sexual Fantasies, Black Lace, →ISBN, page 38:I'm still turned on by alpha males. I think there are only a couple of other men that turn me on . . . ones that are clearly not alphas.
** 2009, Martin G. Groder, Pat Webster, Winning at Love: The Alpha Male's Guide to Relationship Success‎, Bascom Hill Books, →ISBN, page ix:This book is primarily for alpha males, or “top dogs.” We'll talk more about that later; but let's just say that if you are a man and successful in the world of trade, business, or profession, most likely you are an alpha, or you have been trained to act like an alpha.
* (informal, abbreviation) Short for alphabet. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
* (software engineering) The first versions of a program, usually only available to the developer, and only tested by the developer.
** 2007, Mark Summerfield, Rapid GUI Programming with Python and Qt: The Definitive Guide to PyQt Programming‎, 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).
* (aviation) Angle of attack.
    Coordinate terms: beta, gamma, theta
* (computer graphics) The level of translucency of a color, as determined by the alpha channel.
* (computer graphics) Ellipsis of alpha layer.
* (statistics) The significance level of a statistical test; the alpha level.
* (fandom slang) 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.
** 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:Sometimes the alphas and omegas are rare, sometimes they are only males, sometimes they have altered sex organs.
** 2017, Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega? Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 11:
    Sherlock realizes that John, despite being an alpha, sees and loves Sherlock for who he is, "a brilliant, mad, nutter of a man," instead of only wanting him for his reproductive functions, his ability to become pregnant.
** 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 130:Contrary to the typical scenario expected in a dark A/B/O story, in this story both Hannibal and Will are alphas—but Hannibal wants Will to be his omega; subservient and submissive to him only.

#### Derived terms

* Acrux
* alpha-
* alpha acid
* alpha-adrenoreceptor
* alpha-amino acid
* alpha and omega
* alpha-beta filter
* alphabetagamma
* alpha-beta pruning
* alpha blending
* alpha blocker, alpha-blocker
* alpha brass
* alpha carbon
* alpha cell
* alpha channel
* alpha-chlorotoluene
* alpha city
* alpha conversion
* alphacypermethrin
* alpha-cyperone
* alpha decay
* alpha-d-galactosidase
* alpha-dog
* alpha dog
* alpha dogging
* alpha emission
* alpha emitter
* alpha error
* alpha floor
* alpha-gal
* alpha-GAL
* alpha globin
* alpha helix
* alpha hinge
* alpha-hydroxy acid
* alpha-hydroxyprogesterone
* alpha-lactam
* alphalike
* alpha linolenic acid
* alphalytic
* alpha male
* alpha max
* alphameprodine
* alpha-methylphenethylamine
* alphamethyltryptamine
* alpha-methyltryptamine
* alpha naphthol
* alpha-naphthylthiourea
* alphanumeric
* alpha pair
* alpha paper
* alpha particle
* alpha privative
* alpha privativum
* alphaprodine
* alpha protection
* alpha-PVP
* alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone
* alpha quartz
* alpha-quartz
* alpha radiation
* alpha ray
* alpha-receptor
* alpha rhythm
* alpha strike
* alphasyllabary
* alpha taxonomy, alpha-taxonomy
* alpha-test
* alpha testing
* alpha-thalassemia-intellectual disability syndrome
* alphatron
* alpha up
* alpha version
* alpha wave
* alphette
* alphol
* alprazolam
* alteplase
* antithrombin
* enormous Lyman-alpha nebula
* ensen's alpha
* female alpha
* labetalol
* Latin alpha
* Lyman-alpha forest
* male alpha
* pre-alpha version
* triple-alpha process

#### Related terms

* alphabet

#### See also

* (Greek-script letter names) alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega

#### Further reading

* Alpha (investment) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Adjective

alpha (not comparable)
* Designates the first in an order of precedence.
    I am the alpha male.
* (of person, object or action) Exhibiting characteristics of the alpha male/female archetype.
** 2015, Life Is Strange, Square Enix:And thank you. Seriously. I'll call you later. You better. I'm feeling pretty alpha now. Yes, you are.
* (astronomy) Designates some bright star, usually the brightest star, of a constellation.
    When interstellar travel becomes feasible, I plan to visit Alpha Centauri.
* Clipping of alphabetical.
    Sort the list in alpha order.

#### Derived terms

* Alpha Centauri
* alpha female
* alpha geek
* alpha strike
* alpha test

### Anagrams

* alaph, phaal

## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /al.fa/
* Audio:(file)
* Homophone: alfa

### Noun

alpha m (plural alpha)
* alpha (Greek letter)

### Further reading

* “alpha”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Interlingua
### Noun

alpha
* alpha

## Latin
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha).

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈal.pʰa/, [ˈäɫ̪pʰä]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈal.fa/, [ˈälfä]

### Noun

alpha n (indeclinable)
* alpha

### References

* “alpha”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “alpha”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
* "alpha", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
* alpha in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

## Vietnamese
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* (Hà Nội) IPA: [ʔaːn˧˧ faː˧˧]
* (Huế) IPA: [ʔaːŋ˧˧ faː˧˧]
* (Saigon) IPA: [ʔaːŋ˧˧ faː˧˧]
* Phonetic spelling: an pha

### Noun

alpha
* alpha