gamma
the third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ).
the consonant sound represented by this letter.
the third in a series of items.
Gamma, 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).
Origin of gamma
1Words Nearby gamma
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gamma in a sentence
The highest-energy gamma ray carried about 957 trillion electron volts.
The Milky Way’s newfound high-energy glow hints at the secrets of cosmic rays | Emily Conover | February 2, 2021 | Science NewsThe quake led the magnetar to release a blob of plasma that sped away at nearly the speed of light, emitting gamma rays and X-rays as it went.
The first magnetar flare detected from another galaxy was tracked to its home | Lisa Grossman | January 19, 2021 | Science NewsPrescription Aklief cream, the first new retinoid product in more than 20 years, selectively targets RAR gamma, the most common retinoic acid receptor on the skin.
The 9 top health and medicine breakthroughs of 2020 | Claire Maldarelli | December 2, 2020 | Popular-ScienceWhen we injected the combination of TNF and interferon gamma, mice are dead like flies.
How two immune system chemicals may trigger COVID-19’s deadly cytokine storms | Tina Hesman Saey | October 30, 2020 | Science NewsIn fact, the change can happen when gamma rays strike many different kinds of photons.
The Hidden Magnetic Universe Begins to Come Into View | Natalie Wolchover | July 2, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
Well, maybe it was a gamma-ray burst, or maybe it was something else, cautioned some others.
The name is descriptive: they are extremely intense bursts of gamma rays, the highest energy form of light.
Only gamma rays can do it, since all other forms of light are too low-energy.
When the gamma rays enter the sleeve, they interact with that photon gas, annihilating into electron-positron pairs.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTThey combine the square and the cross, while the head and bill of the bird form the gamma indicative of the Swastika.
The Swastika | Thomas WilsonI've got a little rocking-chair down in gamma's room—used to be cousin Efan's.
The Open Question | Elizabeth RobinsLittle children say pease for please, gamma or granma for grandma, dess for dress, tocking for stocking.
The Sounds of Spoken English | Walter RippmannIt certainly can't be anything less than gamma rays and probably even of greater frequency.
Islands of Space | John W CampbellRadioactive atoms almost always decay by emitting negatively charged beta particles usually accompanied by gamma rays.
The Atomic Fingerprint | Bernard Keisch
British Dictionary definitions for gamma (1 of 2)
/ (ˈɡæmə) /
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 energy: a gamma detector
relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid: gamma 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
Origin of gamma
1British Dictionary definitions for Gamma (2 of 2)
/ (ˈɡæmə) /
(foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) the third brightest star in a constellation: Gamma 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
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