del⋅ta
[del-tuh] 
| 1. | the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (Δ, δ). |
| 2. | the consonant sound represented by this letter. |
| 3. | the fourth in a series of items. |
| 4. | anything triangular, like the Greek capital delta (Δ). |
| 5. | Mathematics. an incremental change in a variable, as Δ or δ. |
| 6. | a nearly flat plain of alluvial deposit between diverging branches of the mouth of a river, often, though not necessarily, triangular: the Nile delta. |
| 7. | (usually initial capital letter ) a word used in communications to represent the letter D. |
| 8. | (initial capital letter) Astronomy. a star that is usually the fourth brightest of a constellation: The fourth brightest star in the Southern Cross is Delta Crucis. |
1350–1400; ME deltha < L delta < Gk délta; akin to Heb dāleth
Del⋅ta
[del-tuh] | the NATO name for a class of Soviet nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine armed with 16 multi-warhead missiles. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
| del·ta (děl'tə) n.
[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, of Phoenician origin; see dl in Semitic roots.] del·ta'ic (-tā'ĭk), del'tic (-tĭk) adj. Word History: A Greek letter sits at the mouth of many rivers. Noticing the resemblance between the island formed by sediment at the mouth of a river such as the Nile and the triangular shape of their letter delta (Δ), the Greeks gave the name delta to such an island. English borrowed this sense from Greek, although the word delta appeared first in English as the name of the letter, in a work written possibly around 1200. The sense "alluvial deposit" is not recorded until 1555, when delta is used with reference to the Nile River delta. |
| Del·ta (děl'tə) An area of the south-central United States extending on either side of the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee, to Vicksburg, Mississippi. An important cotton-producing region, it is noted for its folk culture, especially as the home of the earliest blues music. |
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Delta
Del"ta\, n.; pl. Deltas. [Gr. de`lta, the name of the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (the capital form of which is [Delta], Eng. D), from the Ph[oe]nician name of the corresponding letter. The Greeks called the alluvial deposit at the mouth of the Nile, from its shape, the Delta of the Nile.] A tract of land shaped like the letter delta ([Delta]), especially when the land is alluvial and inclosed between two or more mouths of a river; as, the delta of the Ganges, of the Nile, or of the Mississippi.Delta
Del"ta\, n. 1. The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet ([Delta] [delta]), answering to D. Hence, an object having the shape of the capital [Delta]. 2. (Elec.) The closed figure produced by connecting three coils or circuits successively, end for end, esp. in a three-phase system; -- often used attributively, as delta winding, delta connection (which see), etc.Cite This Source
delta
n.1. [techspeak] A quantitative change, especially a small or incremental one (this use is general in physics and engineering). "I just doubled the speed of my program!" "What was the delta on program size?" "About 30 percent." (He doubled the speed of his program, but increased its size by only 30 percent.)
2. [Unix] A diff, especially a diff stored under the set of version-control tools called SCCS (Source Code Control System) or RCS (Revision Control System).
3. n. A small quantity, but not as small as epsilon. The jargon usage of delta and epsilon stems from the traditional use of these letters in mathematics for very small numerical quantities, particularly in `epsilon-delta' proofs in limit theory (as in the differential calculus). The term delta is often used, once epsilon has been mentioned, to mean a quantity that is slightly bigger than epsilon but still very small. "The cost isn't epsilon, but it's delta" means that the cost isn't totally negligible, but it is nevertheless very small. Common constructions include `within delta of --', `within epsilon of --': that is, `close to' and `even closer to'.
Cite This Source
delta
Cite This Source
Delta
The ratio comparing the change in the price of the underlying asset to the corresponding change in the price of a derivative.
Investopedia Commentary
This is sometimes referred to as the hedge ratio. For example, with respect to call options, a delta of 0.7 means that for every dollar the underlying stock increases the call option will increase by $0.70.
Put option deltas on the other hand will be negative because, as the underlying security increases, the value of the option will decrease. So a put option with a delta of -0.7 will decrease by $0.70 for every $1.00 the underlying increases in price.
As an in-the-money call option nears expiration, it will approach a delta of 1.00, and as an in-the-money put option nears expiration, it will approach a delta of -1.00.
Related Links
Getting To Know The "Greeks"
Going Beyond Simple Delta: Understanding Position Delta
Capturing Profits with Position-Delta Neutral Trading
Options Basics Tutorial
See also: Call Option, Delta Hedging, Derivative, Expiration Date, Gamma, Greeks, In the Money, Out of the Money
Cite This Source
delta
- The change in the price of an option that results from a one-point change in the price of the underlying stock. For example, a delta of 0.5 indicates that the option will rise in price by 1/2 point (50¢) for each 1-point ($1) rise in the price of the underlying stock. Call options have positive deltas; put options have negative deltas.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Main Entry: 1del·ta
Pronunciation: 'del-t&
Function: noun
1 : the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet —symbol Δ orδ
2 : any of various things felt to resemble a capital Δ; especially : the triangular terminus of a pattern in a fingerprint formed either bybifurcation of a ridge or by divergence of two ridges that are parallel beyond it
3 : DELTA WAVE
Main Entry: 2delta
Variant: or δ-
Function: adjective
1 : of or relating to one of four or more closely related chemicalsubstances
2 : fourth in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom;also : having a structure characterized by such a position <δ-hydroxy acids> <δ-lactones>
Cite This Source
delta del·ta (děl'tə)
n.
Symbol δ, Δ The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.- The fourth one in a series.
- A surface or part that resembles a triangle, such as the terminus of a pattern in a fingerprint or the shape of a muscle.
- Of or characterizing the atom or radical group that is fourth in position from the functional group of atoms in an organic molecule.
- Of or relating to one of four closely related chemical substances.
- Relating to or characterizing a polypeptide chain that is one of five types of heavy chains present in immunoglobins.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
| delta (děl'tə) Pronunciation Key
A usually triangular mass of sediment, especially silt and sand, deposited at the mouth of a river. Deltas form when a river flows into a body of standing water, such as a sea or lake, and deposits large quantities of sediment. They are usually crossed by numerous streams and channels and have exposed as well as submerged areas. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Delta language
1. An expression-based language developed by J.C. Cleaveland in 1978.
2. A string-processing language with single-character commands from Tandem Computers.
3. A language for system specification of simulation execution.
["System Description and the DELTA Language", E. Holback-Hansen et al, DELTA Proj Rep 4, Norweg Comput Ctr, Feb 1977].
4. A COBOL generating language produced by Delta Software Entwicklung GmbH.
(2000-08-02)
delta
1. A quantitative change, especially a small or incremental one (this use is general in physics and engineering). "I just doubled the speed of my program!" "What was the delta on program size?" "About 30 percent." (He doubled the speed of his program, but increased its size by only 30 percent.)
2. [Unix] A diff, especially a diff stored under the set of version-control tools called SCCS (Source Code Control System) or RCS (Revision Control System). See change management.
3. A small quantity, but not as small as epsilon. The jargon usage of delta and epsilon stems from the traditional use of these letters in mathematics for very small numerical quantities, particularly in "epsilon-delta" proofs in limit theory (as in the differential calculus). The term delta is often used, once epsilon has been mentioned, to mean a quantity that is slightly bigger than epsilon but still very small. "The cost isn't epsilon, but it's delta" means that the cost isn't totally negligible, but it is nevertheless very small. Common constructions include "within delta of ---", "within epsilon of ---": that is, "close to" and "even closer to".
[The Jargon File]
(2000-08-02)
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
