lambda

American  

[lam-duh] / ˈlæm də /

noun

1. the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet (Λ, λ).

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

---

lambda British  

/ ˈlæmdə /

noun

1. the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet (Λ, λ), a consonant transliterated as l

---

Etymology

Origin of lambda

< Greek lá ( m ) bda < Semitic; see lamed

Example Sentences

The team studied the genome packaging motor containing both TerL and TerS from a bacterial virus called phage lambda, which uses a similar packaging process as human herpesvirus.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2023

Now, lambda is enjoying a second life, but it remains a fudge factor without any physical explanation, and one possible basis for it doesn’t hold up.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 21, 2023

Teasing out the subtle signal of lambda decay—the particles are too short-lived for direct detection—required more than 10 years of effort.

From Scientific American • Apr. 27, 2023

For all of its promise, though, the drug — called pegylated interferon lambda — faces an uncertain road to the commercial market.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2023

Buccal region of the same from below; lambda, labrum.

From Facts and Arguments for Darwin by Muller, Fritz