zeta

[ zey-tuh, zee- ]

noun
  1. the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet (Z, ζ).

  2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

Origin of zeta

1
First recorded in 1820–30, zeta is from the Greek word zêta

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use zeta in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for zeta (1 of 3)

zeta

/ (ˈziːtə) /


noun
  1. the sixth letter in the Greek alphabet (Ζ, ζ), a consonant, transliterated as z

Origin of zeta

1
from Greek, of Semitic origin; compare Hebrew sādhē

British Dictionary definitions for Zeta (2 of 3)

Zeta

/ (ˈziːtə) /


noun
  1. (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) the sixth brightest star in a constellation: Zeta Tauri

British Dictionary definitions for ZETA (3 of 3)

ZETA

/ (ˈziːtə) /


noun
  1. a torus-shaped apparatus used for research in the 1950s and early 1960s on controlled thermonuclear reactions and plasma physics

Origin of ZETA

3
C20: from z (ero-) e (nergy) t (hermonuclear) a (pparatus)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012