beta

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The second letter of the Greek alphabet. See Table at alphabet.
2. n. The second item in a series or system of classification.
3. n. A mathematical measure of the sensitivity of rates of return on a portfolio or a given stock compared with rates of return on the market as a whole. A beta of 1.0 indicates that an asset closely follows the market; a beta greater than 1.0 indicates greater volatility than the market.
4. n. Physics A beta particle.
5. n. Physics A beta ray.
6. n. Chemistry The second position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted.
7. n. Chemistry An isomeric variation of a chemical compound. Used in combination: beta-estradiol.
8. n. Computer Science A beta version.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of apetalous plants, natural order Chenopodiaceæ. See beet.
2. n. The second letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding to English B or b.
3. n. As a classifier in astronomy, chemistry, etc., the second in any series. See alpha, 3.
4. n. A genus of dicotyledonous plants belonging to the family Chenopodiaceæ. They are annual or biennial herbs with fleshy roots, distinguished from Chenopodium by the three small bracts at the base of each flower and by the fact that the ovary is embedded in the succulent base of the perianth, which thickens and hardens as the fruit ripens, becoming angular and sometimes toothed or prickly. The genus includes 5 or 6 species, natives of Europe, the Orient, and northern Africa. Some of the species are ornamental. For B. vulgaris, see beet, 1, and see beet-chards, under chard.
5. n. In the Fiji Islands, a plant of the ginger family, Zinziber Zerumbet. See awapuhi.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Identifying a molecular position in an organic chemical compound.
2. adj. Designates the second in an order of precedence.
3. adj. Preliminary; prerelease. Refers to an incomplete version of a product released for initial testing.
4. n. The name of the second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, β), preceded by alpha (Α, α) and followed by gamma, (Γ, γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental fricative sound of v found in the English words have and vase.
5. n. Used in marking scheme: α, β, γ or α+, α, α-, β etc.
6. n. Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.
7. n. The phase of development after alpha testing and before launch, in which software, while not complete, has been released to potential users for testing.
8. n. A computer program in such phase; a preliminary version.
9. n. Information about a route which may aid someone in climbing it.
10. n. A beta particle or beta ray.
11. n. A beta fish, of the genus Betta.
12. n. A beta male.
13. v. To preliminarily release computer software for initial testing prior to final release.
14. v. To proofread a text, especially fan fiction.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The second letter of the Greek alphabet, B, β. See b, and cf. etymology of alphabet.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. beets.
2. adj. second in order of importance
3. n. the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet
4. adj. preliminary or testing stage of a software or hardware product