βῆτα

See also: βήτα

Ancient Greek

previous letter   ἄλφα		following letter   γάμμα
Β β   –   English: beta

Etymology

Borrowed from Phoenician 𐤁 (b‬ /⁠bēt⁠/). The letter name, beth, comes from Phoenician 𐤁𐤕 (bt), 𐤁𐤉𐤕 (byt, “house”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bɛ̂ː.ta/ → /ˈβi.ta/ → /ˈvi.ta/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bɛ̂ː.ta/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈbe̝.ta/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβi.ta/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈvi.ta/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈvi.ta/

Noun

βῆτᾰ • (bêtă) n (indeclinable)

1. beta, the name for the second letter Β, β of the Ancient Greek alphabet.

Adjective

1. second

Descendants

• Greek: βήτα (víta)

References

• “βῆτα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “βῆτα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• βῆτα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• βῆτα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)