Search Result for "alpha": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (2)

1. the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet;

2. the beginning of a series or sequence;
- Example: "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end"--Revelations


ADJECTIVE (2)

1. first in order of importance;
- Example: "the alpha male in the group of chimpanzees"
- Example: "the alpha star in a constellation is the brightest or main star"

2. early testing stage of a software or hardware product;
- Example: "alpha version"


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Alpha \Al"pha\, n. [L. alpha, Gr. 'a`lfa, from Heb. [=a]leph, name of the first letter in the alphabet, also meaning ox.] The first letter in the Greek alphabet, answering to A, and hence used to denote the beginning. [1913 Webster] In am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. --Rev. xxii. 13. [1913 Webster] Note: Formerly used also denote the chief; as, Plato was the alpha of the wits. [1913 Webster] Note: In cataloguing stars, the brightest star of a constellation in designated by Alpha ([alpha]); as, [alpha] Lyr[ae]. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

A \A\ (named [=a] in the English, and most commonly [aum] in other languages). The first letter of the English and of many other alphabets. The capital A of the alphabets of Middle and Western Europe, as also the small letter (a), besides the forms in Italic, black letter, etc., are all descended from the old Latin A, which was borrowed from the Greek Alpha, of the same form; and this was made from the first letter (?) of the Ph[oe]nician alphabet, the equivalent of the Hebrew Aleph, and itself from the Egyptian origin. The Aleph was a consonant letter, with a guttural breath sound that was not an element of Greek articulation; and the Greeks took it to represent their vowel Alpha with the [aum] sound, the Ph[oe]nician alphabet having no vowel symbols. [1913 Webster] This letter, in English, is used for several different vowel sounds. See Guide to pronunciation, [sect][sect] 43-74. The regular long a, as in fate, etc., is a comparatively modern sound, and has taken the place of what, till about the early part of the 17th century, was a sound of the quality of [aum] (as in far). [1913 Webster] 2. (Mus.) The name of the sixth tone in the model major scale (that in C), or the first tone of the minor scale, which is named after it the scale in A minor. The second string of the violin is tuned to the A in the treble staff. -- A sharp (A[sharp]) is the name of a musical tone intermediate between A and B. -- A flat (A[flat]) is the name of a tone intermediate between A and G. [1913 Webster] A per se (L. per se by itself), one pre["e]minent; a nonesuch. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] O fair Creseide, the flower and A per se Of Troy and Greece. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

alpha adj 1: first in order of importance; "the alpha male in the group of chimpanzees"; "the alpha star in a constellation is the brightest or main star" 2: early testing stage of a software or hardware product; "alpha version" n 1: the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet 2: the beginning of a series or sequence; "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end"-- Revelations
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

58 Moby Thesaurus words for "alpha": A, beginning, blast-off, breaking-in, commencement, creation, cutting edge, dawn, dawning, edge, establishment, first, first blush, first glance, first impression, first inning, first lap, first move, first round, first sight, first stage, first step, flying start, foundation, fresh start, gambit, genesis, initial, initiative, institution, jump-off, kick-off, le premier pas, leading edge, new departure, oncoming, onset, opening, opening move, origin, origination, outbreak, outset, outstart, prime, primitiveness, primitivity, running start, send-off, setout, setting in motion, setting-up, square one, start, start-off, starting point, take-off, warming-up
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

ALPHA Input (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)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

Alpha 1. A compiler generator written by Andreas Koschinsky 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)
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Alpha, NJ -- U.S. borough in New Jersey Population (2000): 2482 Housing Units (2000): 1034 Land area (2000): 1.697667 sq. miles (4.396936 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.038457 sq. miles (0.099604 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.736124 sq. miles (4.496540 sq. km) FIPS code: 01030 Located within: New Jersey (NJ), FIPS 34 Location: 40.664003 N, 75.159871 W ZIP Codes (1990): 08865 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Alpha, NJ Alpha
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Alpha, IL -- U.S. village in Illinois Population (2000): 726 Housing Units (2000): 318 Land area (2000): 0.321989 sq. miles (0.833947 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.321989 sq. miles (0.833947 sq. km) FIPS code: 00971 Located within: Illinois (IL), FIPS 17 Location: 41.192203 N, 90.380943 W ZIP Codes (1990): 61413 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Alpha, IL Alpha
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Alpha, MI -- U.S. village in Michigan Population (2000): 198 Housing Units (2000): 118 Land area (2000): 0.940174 sq. miles (2.435039 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.053292 sq. miles (0.138026 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.993466 sq. miles (2.573065 sq. km) FIPS code: 01800 Located within: Michigan (MI), FIPS 26 Location: 46.044786 N, 88.378419 W ZIP Codes (1990): Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Alpha, MI Alpha
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Alpha, MN -- U.S. city in Minnesota Population (2000): 126 Housing Units (2000): 61 Land area (2000): 0.177101 sq. miles (0.458690 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.177101 sq. miles (0.458690 sq. km) FIPS code: 01162 Located within: Minnesota (MN), FIPS 27 Location: 43.638242 N, 94.871621 W ZIP Codes (1990): 56111 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Alpha, MN Alpha