B, b

[bee]

noun, plural B's or Bs, b's or bs.

the second letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.

any spoken sound represented by the letter B or b, as in bid, bauble, or daubed.

something having the shape of a B.

a written or printed representation of the letter B or b.

a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter B or b.

b

Physics.

bar; bars.
barn; barns.

black.

B

Chess. bishop.

black.

Photography. bulb(def 8).

B

Symbol.

the second in order or in a series.

(sometimes lowercase) (in some grading systems) a grade or mark, as in school or college, indicating the quality of a student's work as good or better than average.

(sometimes lowercase) (in some school systems) a symbol designating the second semester of a school year.

Physiology. a major blood group usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of type B or AB and to receive blood from persons of type O or B.Compare ABO system.

Music.

the seventh tone in the scale of C major or the second tone in the relative minor scale, A minor.
a string, key, or pipe tuned to this tone.
a written or printed note representing this tone.
(in the fixed system of solmization) the seventh tone of the scale of C major, called ti.
the tonality having B as the tonic note.

(sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 300.

Chemistry. boron.

a proportional shoe width size, narrower than C and wider than A.

a proportional brassiere cup size, smaller than C and larger than A.

Physics. magnetic induction.

Electricity. susceptance.

a designation for a motion picture made on a low budget and meant as the secondary part of a double feature.

a quality rating for a corporate or municipal bond, lower than BB and higher than CCC.

B-

U.S. Military.

(in designations of aircraft) bomber: B-29.

b.

bachelor.

bale.

Baseball. base; baseman.

blend of; blended.

B.

bachelor.

bacillus.

Baseball. base; baseman.

beta

[bey-tuh or, esp. British, bee-]

noun

the second letter of the Greek alphabet (β, B).

the consonant sound represented by this letter.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. a star that is usually the second brightest of a constellation: The second brightest star in Taurus is Beta Tauri.

Chemistry.

one of the possible positions of an atom or group in a compound.
one of two or more isomeric compounds.

the second of any series, as in chemistry or physics.

Also called beta coefficient, beta line. Stock Exchange. an arbitrary measure of the volatility of a given stock using an index of the volatility of the market as a whole: A beta of 1.1 indicates a stock that is 10 percent more volatile than the market.

(initial capital letter) Trademark. a brand of tape format for VCR tape, incompatible with other formats.Compare VHS.

Chiefly British. a grade showing that a student is in the middle or second of three scholastic sections in a class.Compare alpha(def 7), gamma(def 9).

Origin of beta

< Latin < Greek bêta < Semitic; compare Hebrew bēth beth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for b

Contemporary Examples of b

Soon, though, voices from off camera begin shouting for retribution, not justice, chanting “Burn this b**** down.”
Michael Brown’s Stepfather Tells Crowd, ‘Burn This Bitch Down’
Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video
November 25, 2014
Born in Connecticut in 1847, he had a long railroad career before coming to the B O in 1896.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire
H.L. Mencken
October 4, 2014
With more than a minute cut out of the reruns, syndicated episodes often drop entire relevant-to-the-plot scenes and B stories.
A 200-Hour ‘Simpsons’ Marathon? That’s Unpossible!
Rich Goldstein
July 24, 2014
Infectious diseases are (a) infectious and (b) preventable with a simple shot.
D.C. Moron Phil Gingrey Spread Ebola Fever Over Immigrants
Kent Sepkowitz
July 15, 2014
Astronomers clearly identified planet candidates “b” and “c,” with “d,” “e,” “f,” and “g” following.
The Exoplanet That Wasn’t There
Matthew R. Francis
July 6, 2014

Historical Examples of b

When you solve a sum you go from "a" to "b" and from "b" to "c" and from "c" to "d" and so on.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
(b) In what ways should soup accompaniments be a contrast to the soup?
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
(b) What disposal should be made of meat from which stock is made?
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
(b) What precaution should be taken in the use of flavorings?
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
(b) How should jars, covers, and rubbers be treated in this method?
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

British Dictionary definitions for b

b

symbol for

chess See algebraic notation

b

B

noun plural b's, B's or Bs

the second letter and first consonant of the modern English alphabet

a speech sound represented by this letter, usually a voiced bilabial stop, as in bell

Also: beta the second in a series, esp the second highest grade in an examination

B

symbol for

music

a note having a frequency of 493.88 hertz (B above middle C) or this value multiplied or divided by any power of 2; the seventh note of the scale of C major
a key, string, or pipe producing this note
the major or minor key having this note as its tonic

the supporting or less important of two thingsthe B side of a record

a human blood type of the ABO group, containing the B antigen

(in Britain) a secondary road

the number 11 in hexadecimal notation

chem boron

magnetic flux density

chess bishop

(on Brit pencils, signifying degree of softness of lead) blackB; 2B; 3B Compare H (def. 5)

Also: b physics bel

physics baryon number

balboa

belga

bolivar

photog B-setting

a person whose job is in middle management, or who holds an intermediate administrative or professional position
(as modifier)a B worker See also occupation groupings

abbreviation for

Belgium (international car registration)

B-

abbreviation for (of US military aircraft)

bomberB-52

b.

abbreviation for

born

cricket bowled

B.

abbreviation for

(on maps, etc) bay

British

beta

noun

the second letter in the Greek alphabet (Β, β), a consonant, transliterated as b

the second highest grade or mark, as in an examination

(modifier)

involving or relating to electronsbeta emitter
relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solidbeta iron
relating to one of two or more isomeric forms of a chemical compound

Word Origin for beta

from Greek bēta, from Hebrew; see beth

Beta

noun

(foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) a star in a constellation, usually the second brightestBeta Persei

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for b

beta

second letter of the Greek alphabet, c.1300, from Greek, from Hebrew/Phoenician beth (see alphabet); used to designate the second of many things. Beta radiation is from 1899 (Rutherford). Beta particle is attested from 1904.

b in Medicine

b

abbr.

blood (used as a subscript)

B

The symbol for the elementboron

beta

[bā′tə, bē′-]

n.

The second letter of the Greek alphabet.

The second item in a series or system of classification.

A beta particle.

A beta ray.

adj.

Of or relating to the second position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted.

Of or relating to an isomeric variation of a chemical compound, such as a stereoisomer.

b in Science

B

The symbol for boron.

The symbol for magnetic field.

boron

[bôr′ŏn′]

B

A shiny, brittle, black metalloid element extracted chiefly from borax. It is a good electrical conductor at high temperatures and a poor conductor at low temperatures. Boron is necessary for the growth of land plants and is used in the preparation of soaps, abrasives, and hard alloys. It is also used in the control rods of nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber. Atomic number 5; atomic weight 10.811; melting point 2,300°C; sublimation point 2,550°C; specific gravity (crystal) 2.34; valence 3. See Periodic Table.