beta; B, β +

1. A set of letters, usually listed in a fixed order, used in writing a language and representing its basic speech sounds, such as the Cyrillic alphabet: In school, Lynn learned that the Greek alphabet had only twenty-four letters.

An alphabet is a set of symbols representing units used in communication, especially speech sounds or words.

Word History

Someone who is learning his or her alphabet: When little Mary entered school, she was one of many alphabetarians learning the letters of the writing system for the first time.

An alphabetarian can be a beginner in learning the mere rudiments of any subject.

Also, an alphabetarian can be someone who studies alphabets.

1. Regarding the arrangement or the listing in the customary order of the letters of the alphabet: Mrs. Lawson, Jim's teacher, told the children to put all the words in the list into alphabetical order starting with the letter "A".
2. Based on, typical of, or relating to an alphabet: All the words in the dictionary are arranged in an alphabetical sequence.

Referring to how an alphabet is arranged in a customary order of the letters "a" to "z": Little Ivy finished writing the list of words alphabetically and showed them to her teacher, Mrs. Rawson.

The result of putting something in alphabetical order (customary order of the letters from "a" to "z"): Greg had to redo the alphabetization of the items because they were not in the correct alphabetical order.

1. To arrange articles according to the writing system with a, b, c, d, etc.: Mrs. Smart alphabetized her recipes so that she could find the one she wanted more easily and quickly.
2. To furnish with a system of signals or signs as being equivalent to letters: Some languages, as the Chinese or Japanese, use a method of radical-and-strokes to define or to alphabetize the ordering of the symbols.

A person who studies alphabetology:; Mr. Dawson was an alphabetologist who was an expert in the field of letters of a language involving the arrangement or the order fixed by custom, and the system of characters or symbols representing sounds or things.

The study of alphabetic methods of writing: Alphabetology is the science of character sets, including letters which are used to write languages.

A reference to the inability to read or to write: Mrs. Nelson was concerned about the analphabetic state of some of her students and so she created special lessons for them.

Illiterate: Sad to say, there are many people who are analphabetical and have never learned how to read or write.

A type of brass containing nearly equal proportions of copper and zinc.

1. The isomeric form of carotene that is widely distributed in nature and most efficiently converted to vitamin A by the body.
2. A carotenoid precursor of vitamin A found in many fresh vegetables and fruits; an antioxidant that minimizes the damage caused by free radicals.

1. Any of the insulin-producing cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.
2. Any of the basophilic chromophil cells located in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland.

The star Beta in the constellation of Centaurus.

One of the 20 brightest stars with 0.86 magnitude.

The radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus accompanied by emission of a beta particle.

Beta decay is the disintegration of the nucleus of an atom to produce a beta particle, or high-speed electron, and an electron-antineutrino.

During beta decay a neutron in the nucleus changes into a proton, thereby increasing the atomic number by one while the mass number stays the same.