gamma

[ gam-uh ]

noun

1. the third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ).
2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.
3. the third in a series of items.
4. Gamma, Astronomy. a star that is usually the third brightest of a constellation:

   The third brightest star in the Southern Cross is Gamma Crucis.

5. a unit of weight equal to one microgram.
6. Physics. a unit of magnetic field strength, equal to 10− 5 gauss.
7. Photography. a measure of the degree of development of a negative or print.
8. Television. an analogous numerical indication of the degree of contrast between light and dark in the reproduction of an image in television.
9. 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 8 ), beta ( def 9 ).

gamma

¹

/ ˈɡæmə /

noun

1. the third letter in the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ), a consonant, transliterated as g. When double, it is transcribed and pronounced as ng
2. the third highest grade or mark, as in an examination
3. a unit of magnetic field strength equal to 10 ^–5oersted. 1 gamma is equivalent to 0.795 775 × 10 ^–3ampere per metre
4. 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
5. modifier
   1. involving or relating to photons of very high energy

      a gamma detector

   2. relating to one of two or more allotropes or crystal structures of a solid

      gamma iron

   3. 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

Gamma

²

/ ˈɡæmə /

noun

1. foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation the third brightest star in a constellation

   Gamma Leonis

Word History and Origins

Origin of gamma¹

From the Greek word gámma

Word History and Origins

Origin of gamma¹

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

Example Sentences

The highest-energy gamma ray carried about 957 trillion electron volts.

From Science News

The 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.

From Science News

Prescription 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.

From Popular-Science

When we injected the combination of TNF and interferon gamma, mice are dead like flies.

From Science News

In fact, the change can happen when gamma rays strike many different kinds of photons.

From Quanta Magazine

Well, maybe it was a gamma-ray burst, or maybe it was something else, cautioned some others.

From The Daily Beast

The name is descriptive: they are extremely intense bursts of gamma rays, the highest energy form of light.

From The Daily Beast

Only gamma rays can do it, since all other forms of light are too low-energy.

From The Daily Beast

When the gamma rays enter the sleeve, they interact with that photon gas, annihilating into electron-positron pairs.

From The Daily Beast

He created his own agency, Gamma, in 1966, though he later left to join Magnum.

From The Daily Beast

They combine the square and the cross, while the head and bill of the bird form the gamma indicative of the Swastika.

From Project Gutenberg

I've got a little rocking-chair down in gamma's room—used to be cousin Efan's.

From Project Gutenberg

Little children say pease for please, gamma or granma for grandma, dess for dress, tocking for stocking.

From Project Gutenberg

It certainly can't be anything less than gamma rays and probably even of greater frequency.

From Project Gutenberg

Radioactive atoms almost always decay by emitting negatively charged beta particles usually accompanied by gamma rays.

From Project Gutenberg