delta

[ del-tuh ]

/ ˈdɛl tə /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR delta ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (Δ, δ).

the consonant sound represented by this letter.

the fourth in a series of items.

anything triangular, like the Greek capital delta (Δ).

Mathematics. an incremental change in a variable, as Δ or δ.

a nearly flat plain of alluvial deposit between diverging branches of the mouth of a river, often, though not necessarily, triangular: the Nile delta.

(usually initial capital letter) a word used in communications to represent the letter D.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. a star that is usually the fourth brightest of a constellation: The fourth brightest star in the Southern Cross is Delta Crucis.

Words nearby delta

delray beach, delsarte, delsarte method, delsarte system, delsartian, delta, delta agent, delta antigen, delta aquarids, delta cell, delta connection

Origin of delta

1350–1400; Middle English deltha < Latin delta < Greek délta; akin to Hebrew dāleth

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH delta

delta estuary

Definition for delta (2 of 2)

Delta

[ del-tuh ]

/ ˈdɛl tə /

noun Military.

the NATO name for a class of Soviet nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine armed with 16 multi-warhead missiles.

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

Examples from the Web for delta

When Tonie Tobias started at Delta in 1996 she was shy and closeted.
How A Company’s Support of Gay Employees Helped One of Them To Come Out||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I told them the story about how Delta helped her propose to me in the middle of the international terminal here at Delta.
How A Company’s Support of Gay Employees Helped One of Them To Come Out||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Delta was a sponsor of the HRC dinner here in Atlanta and I went and met her there.
How A Company’s Support of Gay Employees Helped One of Them To Come Out||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was because of Delta that I actually started helping out in the community, volunteering.
How A Company’s Support of Gay Employees Helped One of Them To Come Out||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Apple, PetSmart, Wells Fargo, Marriott, and Delta also spoke out.
Corporations Are No Longer Silent on LGBT Issues||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Level land, marshes, and meadows lay along the Christina, the remains of the delta which the stream had formed in the past.
The Quaker Colonies|Sydney G. Fisher
The building, one of the newest and tallest in Delta, had been gutted by the flood.
Hoofbeats on the Turnpike|Mildred A. Wirt
The telegraph instrument was chattering the Delta station call again so Quigley turned to answer it.
Hoofbeats on the Turnpike|Mildred A. Wirt
He was going to be a college man like his father—perhaps a Nu Delta, too.
The Plastic Age|Percy Marks
Much of the land is really the delta of the "Father of Waters," over which that river spreads out in vast inundations each year.
North America|Israel C. Russell

British Dictionary definitions for delta (1 of 3)

delta

/ (ˈdɛltə) /

noun

the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet (Δ, δ), a consonant transliterated as d

an object resembling a capital delta in shape

(capital when part of name) the flat alluvial area at the mouth of some rivers where the mainstream splits up into several distributariesthe Mississippi Delta

maths a finite increment in a variable

Derived forms of delta

deltaic (dɛlˈteɪɪk) or deltic, adjective

Word Origin for delta

C16: via Latin from Greek, of Semitic origin; compare Hebrew dāleth

British Dictionary definitions for delta (2 of 3)

Delta¹

/ (ˈdɛltə) /

noun

(foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) usually the fourth brightest star in a constellation

any of a group of US launch vehicles used to put unmanned satellites into orbit

communications a code word for the letter d

British Dictionary definitions for delta (3 of 3)

Delta²

/ (ˈdɛltə) /

noun

a state of Nigeria, on the Niger river delta on the Gulf of Guinea. Capital: Asaba. Pop: 4 098 391 (2006). Area: 17 698 sq km (6833 sq miles)

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

Medicine definitions for delta

delta

[ dĕl′tə ]

n.

The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.

The fourth one in a series.

A surface or part that resembles a triangle, such as the terminus of a pattern in a fingerprint or the shape of a muscle.

adj.

Of or characterizing the atom or radical group that is fourth in position from the functional group of atoms in an organic molecule.

Of or relating to one of four closely related chemical substances.

Relating to or characterizing a polypeptide chain that is one of five types of heavy chains present in immunoglobins.

Science definitions for delta

delta

[ dĕl′tə ]

A usually triangular mass of sediment, especially silt and sand, deposited at the mouth of a river. Deltas form when a river flows into a body of standing water, such as a sea or lake, and deposits large quantities of sediment. They are usually crossed by numerous streams and channels and have exposed as well as submerged areas.

delta

noun

Content related to delta

Words related to delta

Words nearby delta

Origin of delta

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH delta

Definition for delta (2 of 2)

noun Military.

Examples from the Web for delta

British Dictionary definitions for delta (1 of 3)

noun

Derived forms of delta

Word Origin for delta

British Dictionary definitions for delta (2 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for delta (3 of 3)

noun

Medicine definitions for delta

n.

adj.

Science definitions for delta