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beta

verb · noun · adjective

Simple meaning

Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

baytuh

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbeɪtə

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. chiefly internet

    To beta-read a text.

noun

  1. computingvideo games

    (uncountable) The phase of development after alpha testing and before launch, in which software, while not complete, has been released to potential users for testing.

  2. computingvideo games

    (countable) Software in such a phase; a preliminary version.

  3. The 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet

  4. A home videocassette recording format developed by Sony in 1975, now known for having lost the format war to VHS.

  5. finance

    Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.

  6. A member of Generation Beta.

adjective

  1. Designates the second in an order of precedence.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Letter

alpha betaphi beta

Other combinations

beta decaybeta particlebeta distributionbeta carotenebeta radiationbeta blocker

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • beta-adrenergic receptornounCompound term

    Receptors postulated to exist on nerve cell membranes of the sympathetic nervous system in order to explain the specificity of certain agents that affect only some sympathetic activities…

  • beta-adrenoceptornounCompound term

    Receptors postulated to exist on nerve cell membranes of the sympathetic nervous system in order to explain the specificity of certain agents that affect only some sympathetic activities…

  • beta blockernounCompound term

    Any of various drugs used in treating hypertension or arrhythmia.

  • beta blocker eyedropnounCompound term

    A treatment for glaucoma.

  • beta-blocking agentnounCompound term

    Any of various drugs used in treating hypertension or arrhythmia.

  • beta-carotenenounCompound term

    An isomer of carotene that is found in dark green and dark yellow fruits and vegetables.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.