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Alpha

[al-fuh]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

the first letter of the greek alphabet (A, α).

the vowel sound represented by this letter.

the first; beginning.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. used to designate the brightest star in a constellation.

Chemistry. one of two or more isomeric compounds.

EXPAND

the first in a series of related items: frequently used in chemistry and physics.

Chiefly British. a mark or grade corresponding to an A. Compare beta (def. 8), gamma (def. 9).

COLLAPSE

adjective

(especially of animals) having the highest rank of its sex in a dominance hierarchy: the alpha female.

being the most prominent, talented, or aggressive person in a group: the alpha male of investment bankers.

Chemistry. pertaining or linked to the carbon atom closest to a particular group in an organic molecule.

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Alpha is always a great word to know.

So is winter solstice. Does it mean:

a low-mass star that emits low to average amounts of light that burn their hydrogen slowly over a long life span

the time when the sun is farthest south from the celestial equator occurring around December 21st

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Origin:
< Latin < Greek álpha < Semitic; compare aleph

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Alpha

Example Sentences

First of all, magnanimity is an alpha behavior, a sign of strength.

Unfortunately, their method does not allow the team to tell which of the constants that goes into alpha might be changing.

Usually in a particular neighborhood, one male establishes himself as the local ogre, the dominant alpha male.

EXPAND

First of all, magnanimity is an alpha behavior, a sign of strength.

Unfortunately, their method does not allow the team to tell which of the constants that goes into alpha might be changing.

Usually in a particular neighborhood, one male establishes himself as the local ogre, the dominant alpha male.

The next brainwave category in order of frequency is alpha.

Every clan is a matriarchy ruled by an alpha female.

There were no alpha coefficients, there were no discrimination indices.

Investors' attempts to isolate alpha from beta have taken several forms.

Those who challenge this alpha male are apt to be cowed by impressive shows of physical power.

Where beta represented arousal, alpha represents non-arousal.

Only a fool would think facebook and similar online networks are the alpha and omega of how people are interacting.

The beta females demand parity with the alpha males~~to the gibbering delight of the beta males.

Alpha was still having her menstrual cycle but showed possible perimenopausal symptoms.

In women, for every one beta receptor in the thigh, there are nine alpha receptors.

Wolf packs are supposedly despotic hierarchies dominated by alpha wolves.

To pull in additional males there would have to be more females in a group than the alpha male could manage.

The alpha male is the gray-colored wolf in the center.

Comparable alpha females are wives and homemakers with successful marriages.

True, the alpha male chimpanzee can often inhibit other males from mating with a particular female in his group.

Love how it doesn't mention at all the affects it has on alpha brain waves.

Also called an alpha predator or top predator aquatic: adjective: having to do with water.

They do live in groups if the opportunity is available, and each group has afemale matriarch and a alpha male.

Alpha males maintain these herds, and mate with the group's dominant hen.

It would be better journalism to include the selected alpha error rate.

Also called an alpha predator or top predator aquifer: noun: an underground layer of rock or earth which holds groundwater.

Cats do live in groups if the opportunity is available, and each group has a female matriarch and an alpha male.

The social mammals travel and live in groups dominated by an alpha male and defend their feeding and wallowing territories.

It has been suggested that the alpha male chimp even targets the leader of any group of humans threatening the territory.

He follows the alpha shiba around only to get growled at and attacked.

Secondly it is my personally belief that females are attracted to alpha males, what can be more alpha than a guy raping a girl.

What happens when you the american consuming and obviously oblivious public are not the only alpha consumer on the planet.

We already had a lurcher that she has now got used to but is definitely the alpha over her.

Perhaps it starts because they are alpha and due to their size, start feeling intimidated.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

alpha (ˈælfə)

—n
1.	the first letter in the Greek alphabet (Α, α), a vowel transliterated as a
2.	(Brit) the highest grade or mark, as in an examination
3.	(modifier)
	a. involving or relating to helium-4 nuclei: an alpha particle
	b. relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid: alpha iron
	c. 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 to which the principal group is attached
4.	(modifier) denoting the dominant person or animal in a group: the alpha male

[via Latin from Greek, of Phoenician origin; related to Hebrew āleph, literally: ox]

Alpha (ˈælfə)

—n
1.	(foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) usually the brightest star in a constellation: Alpha Centauri
2.	communications a code word for the letter a

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

alpha

from L. alpha, from Gk. alpha, from Heb. or Phoen. aleph (q.v.). The Greeks added -a because Gk. words cannot end in most consonants. Sense of "beginning of anything" is from late 14c.; that of "first in a sequence" is from 1620s. Alpha male was in use by c.1960 among scientists

EXPAND

studying animals; applied to humans in society from c.1992.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

alpha al·pha (āl'fə)
n.

Symbol α The first letter of the Greek alphabet.
The first one in a series; the beginning.
The first position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or radical group may be substituted.

adj.

Characterizing the atom or radical group that is closest to the functional group of atoms in an organic molecule.
Relating to one of two or more closely related substances, as in stereoisomers.
Relating to or characterizing a polypeptide chain that is one of five types of heavy chains present in immunoglobins.

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

ALPHA definition

language
(Or "Input") An extension of ALGOL 60 for the M-20 computer developed by A.P. Ershov at Novosibirsk in 1961. ALPHA includes matrix operations, slices, and complex arithmetic.
["The Alpha Automatic Programming System", A.P. Ershov ed., A-P 1971].
(1995-05-10)

Alpha definition

1. A compiler generator written by Andreas Koschinsky koschins@cs.tu-berlin.de and described in his thesis at the Technische Universitaet Berlin. Alpha takes an attribute grammar and uses Bison and Flex to generate a parser, a scanner and an ASE evaluator (Jazayeri and Walter).
The documentation is in german.
(1993-02-16)
2. DEC Alpha.
(1995-05-10)

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

alpha
alphabetical

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alfa alpha brass Alpha Centauri alpha globulin alpha helix alpha iron

Matching Quote

"You try to tell me anything about the newspaper business! Sir, I have been through it from Alpha to Omaha, and I tell you that the less a man knows the bigger the noise he makes and the higher the salary he commands."

-Mark Twain

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