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Bet vs Beta - What's the difference?

bet | beta |

As a proper noun bet

is a diminutive of elizabeth.

As a noun beta is

beta (the name of the second letter of the greek alphabet ( )).

bet

English

Etymology 1

From 16th century criminal slang, likely from abet or (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A wager, an agreement between two parties that a stake (usually money) will be paid by the loser to the winner (the winner being the one who correctly forecast the outcome of an event).
    • Dylan owes Fletcher $30 from an unsuccessful bet.
  • A degree of certainty.
    • It’s a safe bet that it will rain tomorrow.
    It’s an even bet that Jim will come top of the maths test tomorrow

    Verb

  • To stake or pledge upon the outcome of an event; to wager.
  • * Shakespeare
    • John a Gaunt loved him well, and betted much money on his head.
  • * O. W. Holmes
    • I'll bet you two to one I'll make him do it.
  • To be sure of something; to be able to count on something.
    • You bet !
  • (poker) To place money into the pot in order to require others do the same, usually only used for the first person to place money in the pot on each round.
    • Derived terms
    * bet one's boots * bet one's bottom dollar * bet the farm

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl)

    Noun

    • Etymology 3

    beta

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Identifying a molecular position in an organic chemical compound.
  • Designates the second in an order of precedence.
  • (computing) Preliminary; prerelease. Refers to an incomplete version of a product released for initial testing.
  • associated with the beta male/female archetype.

    • Derived terms

    * * * alphabet * * beta blocker * beta coefficient * beta decay * beta emitter * betalike * beta particle * beta ray * beta reader * beta version * Betamax * betatron

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The name of the second letter of the Greek alphabet ( sound of '''v found in the English words ''have'' and ''vase .
  • Used in marking scheme: ?, ?, ? or ?+, ?, ?-, ? etc.
  • (finance) Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.
  • (computing) The phase of development after alpha testing and before launch, in which software, while not complete, has been released to potential users for testing.
  • (computing) A computer program in such a phase; a preliminary version.
  • * 2007 , Michael Lopp, Managing Humans (page 107)
    • He quickly deduced our goal—ship a quality beta —but he also quickly discerned that we had no idea about the quality of the product because of our pile of untriaged bugs.
  • (climbing) Information about a route which may aid someone in climbing it.
  • (physics) A beta particle or beta ray.
  • A beta fish, of the genus Betta .
  • A beta male.
  • * 2006 , Catherine Mann, Blaze of Glory , Harlequin (2006), ISBN 9781459228252, unnumbered page:
    • “I guess in your psychological language of alpha males and beta males, I would be firmly in the camp that prefers the more laid-back betas ,” she took a deep breath, “like your father.”
  • * 2010 , L. A. Banks, "Dog Tired (of the Drama!)", in Blood Lite II: Overbite (ed. Kevin J. Anderson), Gallery Books (2010), ISBN 9781439187654, page 121:
    • “They want sexy, virile alpha males, yes? But that doesn't come with sensitive and loyal and all of that. That's a beta . A frickin' collie, Lola.
  • * 2010 , Terry Spear, Wolf Fever , Sourcebooks Casablanca (2010), ISBN 9781402237577, page 24:
    • She'd always had a thing for alpha males. Not that she had any intention of being bossed around, even if one had her best interests at heart. Her fascination with alphas was that they were a challenge. Betas didn't hold much of an appeal.

    Derived terms

    * betavoltaic * betavoltaics

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (computing) To preliminarily release computer software for initial testing prior to final release.
  • (chiefly, Internet) To beta-read a text.
  • * 1999, sqira a., in alt.tv.x-files.creative [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.x-files.creative/msg/29d32d27e61755f2?dmode=source]
    • My thanks to Heather; who read it and betaed it. Thank you.
  • * 2000 , Elizabeth Durack, quoted in Angelina I. Karpovich, “The Audience as Editor: The Role of Beta Readers in Online Fan Fiction Communities” (essay), in Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse (editors), Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet , McFarland (2006), ISBN 9780786426409, page 180,
    • Beta’ing is time-consuming, so asking a lot of people to give you a detailed analysis isn’t the most polite thing to do.
  • * 2002, Jane Davitt, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer.creative [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer.creative/msg/9301606b391212c0?dmode=source]
    • The next part is written and beta'd (thanks, Jen!), ready to go but <shuffles feet> I haven't even started what should be the final part yet.
  • * 2002, Karmen Ghia, in alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated/msg/8405f53e8acbb0c1?dmode=source]
    • I had the honor of betaing this story and as I was doing the first read through I had the odd, but lovely, experience when a story suspends the reader in its own rhythm and flow, its own reality.

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