alpha

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Semitic *ʔalp- Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐 (ʾlp)bor. Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha)bor. English alpha From the Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha), the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”). Doublet of alif and aleph.

1. Designates the first in an order of precedence.

   “I am the alpha male.”

2. Exhibiting characteristics of the alpha male/female archetype.

   “And thank you. Seriously. I'll call you later. You better. I'm feeling pretty alpha now. Yes, you are.”

3. Designates some bright star, usually the brightest star, of a constellation.

   “When interstellar travel becomes feasible, I plan to visit Alpha Centauri.”

4. Clipping of alphabetical.

   “Sort the list in alpha order.”

name

1. A placename.
2. A placename.
3. A placename.
4. A placename.
5. A placename.
6. A placename.
7. Former name of the International Space Station.
8. A RISC CPU instruction set architecture developed and marketed by Digital Equipment Corporation (then later by Compaq and then Hewlett-Packard) from 1992 until 2004.

noun

1. Alternative letter-case form of alpha.
2. A member of Generation Alpha.

   “They are being partially replaced by a new generation – the Alphas, which cover children aged nine or under and account for 12 per cent of all Australians.”

   “And if, as Twenge argues, the proliferation of internet-enabled devices is the defining factor in Gen Z’s profile — and the main root of its problems — the Alphas, or Polars, remain an open question.”