gamma

[ gam-uh ]

/ ˈgæm ə /

noun

the third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ).

the consonant sound represented by this letter.

the third in a series of items.

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

a unit of weight equal to one microgram.

Physics. a unit of magnetic field strength, equal to 10−5 gauss.

Photography. a measure of the degree of development of a negative or print.

Television. an analogous numerical indication of the degree of contrast between light and dark in the reproduction of an image in television.

Chiefly British. a grade showing that an individual student is in the third, or lowest, of three scholastic sections in a class.Compare alpha(def 7), beta(def 8).

Nearby words

gamine, gaminess, gaming, gaming platform, gaming table, gamma, gamma angle, gamma camera, gamma carotene, gamma decay, gamma distribution

Origin of gamma

From the Greek word gámma

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

Examples from the Web for gamma

The name is descriptive: they are extremely intense bursts of gamma rays, the highest energy form of light.
The Gamma-Ray Burst That Wasn’t|Matthew R. Francis|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only gamma rays can do it, since all other forms of light are too low-energy.
We Can Create Matter from Light?!|Matthew R. Francis|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the gamma rays enter the sleeve, they interact with that photon gas, annihilating into electron-positron pairs.
We Can Create Matter from Light?!|Matthew R. Francis|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He created his own agency, Gamma, in 1966, though he later left to join Magnum.
Photographer Raymond Depardon Captures the ‘Sweet Moments’|Sarah Moroz|November 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST

No word on Gamma Rays, Delta Squad, Epsilononicom, or Zetabyte.
Lady Gaga’s ‘ARTPOP’ Is Now Streaming, Michelle Pfeiffer Was in a Cult|Culture Team|November 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In Greek and Hebrew the third letter (gimel, gamma) had the power of the flat mute g, as in gun.
The English Language|Robert Gordon Latham
They have for the sake of convenience been called the alpha, beta, and gamma rays.
A Brief Account of Radio-activity|Francis Preston Venable
The "Gamma rays" are waves, like the X-rays, not material particles.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)|J. Arthur Thomson
It was called radiation injury, the internal destruction of cell structure by gamma rays emitted by the bomb.
The Image and the Likeness|John Scott Campbell
Its sharp equivalent, however, the sound of k, was by no means wanting; and the Greek gamma was used to denote it.
A Handbook of the English Language|Robert Gordon Latham

British Dictionary definitions for gamma (1 of 2)

gamma

/ (ˈɡæmə) /

noun

the third letter in the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ), a consonant, transliterated as g. When double, it is transcribed and pronounced as ng

the third highest grade or mark, as in an examination

a unit of magnetic field strength equal to 10 –5 oersted. 1 gamma is equivalent to 0.795 775 × 10 –3 ampere per metre

photog television the numerical value of the slope of the characteristic curve of a photographic emulsion or television camera; a measure of the contrast reproduced in a photographic or television image

(modifier)

involving or relating to photons of very high energya gamma detector
relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solidgamma iron
relating to one of two or more isomeric forms of a chemical compound, esp one in which a group is attached to the carbon atom next but one to the atom to which the principal group is attached

Word Origin for gamma

C14: from Greek; related to Hebrew gīmel third letter of the Hebrew alphabet (probably: camel)

British Dictionary definitions for gamma (2 of 2)

Gamma

/ (ˈɡæmə) /

noun

(foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) the third brightest star in a constellationGamma Leonis

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 gamma

gamma

third letter of the Greek alphabet, c.1400, from Greek gamma, from Phoenician gimel, literally "camel" (see camel); so called for a fancied resemblance of its shape to some part of a camel. Gamma rays (1903) originally were thought to be a third type of radiation, now known to be identical with very short X-rays.

Medicine definitions for gamma

gamma

[ găm′ə ]

n.

The third letter of the Greek alphabet.

The third item in a series or system of classification.

The third position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted.

A unit of magnetic field strength equal to one hundred thousandth (105) of an oersted.

A unit of mass equal to one millionth (106) of a gram.

adj.

Relating to or being the atom or radical group that is in the third position relative to the functional group of atoms in an organic molecule.

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

gamma

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of gamma

Examples from the Web for gamma

British Dictionary definitions for gamma (1 of 2)

gamma

noun

Word Origin for gamma

British Dictionary definitions for gamma (2 of 2)

Gamma

noun

Word Origin and History for gamma

gamma

Medicine definitions for gamma

gamma

n.

adj.