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gamma
[ gam-uh ]
noun
- the third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ).
- the consonant sound represented by this letter.
- the third in a series of items.
- Gamma, Astronomy. a star that is usually the third brightest of a constellation:
The third brightest star in the Southern Cross is Gamma Crucis.
- a unit of weight equal to one microgram.
- Physics. a unit of magnetic field strength, equal to 10− 5 gauss.
- Photography. a measure of the degree of development of a negative or print.
- Television. an analogous numerical indication of the degree of contrast between light and dark in the reproduction of an image in television.
- Chiefly British. a grade showing that an individual student is in the third, or lowest, of three scholastic sections in a class. Compare alpha ( def 8 ), beta ( def 9 ).
Gamma
1/ ˈɡæmə /
noun
- foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation the third brightest star in a constellation
Gamma Leonis
gamma
2/ ˈɡæmə /
noun
- the third letter in the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ), a consonant, transliterated as g. When double, it is transcribed and pronounced as ng
- the third highest grade or mark, as in an examination
- a unit of magnetic field strength equal to 10 –5oersted. 1 gamma is equivalent to 0.795 775 × 10 –3ampere per metre
- photog television the numerical value of the slope of the characteristic curve of a photographic emulsion or television camera; a measure of the contrast reproduced in a photographic or television image
- modifier
- involving or relating to photons of very high energy
a gamma detector
- relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid
gamma iron
- relating to one of two or more isomeric forms of a chemical compound, esp one in which a group is attached to the carbon atom next but one to the atom to which the principal group is attached
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Word History and Origins
Origin of gamma1
From the Greek word gámma
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Word History and Origins
Origin of gamma1
C14: from Greek; related to Hebrew gīmel third letter of the Hebrew alphabet (probably: camel)
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