zeta

[zey-tuh, zee-]

noun

1. the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet (Z, ζ).

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

ZETA

¹

/ ˈziːtə /

noun

1. a torus-shaped apparatus used for research in the 1950s and early 1960s on controlled thermonuclear reactions and plasma physics

Zeta

²

/ ˈziːtə /

noun

1. (foll by the genitive case of a specified constellation) the sixth brightest star in a constellation

   Zeta Tauri

zeta

³

/ ˈziːtə /

noun

1. the sixth letter in the Greek alphabet (Ζ, ζ), a consonant, transliterated as z

Word History and Origins

Origin of ZETA¹

First recorded in 1820–30, zeta is from the Greek word zêta

Word History and Origins

Origin of ZETA¹

C20: from z ( ero- ) e ( nergy ) t ( hermonuclear ) a ( pparatus )

Origin of ZETA²

from Greek, of Semitic origin; compare Hebrew sādhē

Example Sentences

Among these is the famous zeta ring, a very faint and dusty celestial object first discovered by the Voyager 2 satellite in 1986.

From Salon

“Spring training being closed in March would be worse for us than another covid outbreak, like if they announced the zeta variant was coming. It would be that bad.”

From Washington Post

Riemann found that the key to understanding their distribution lay within another set of numbers, the zeroes of a function called the Riemann zeta function that has both real and imaginary inputs.

From Science Magazine

As a physicist, I was aware that the zeros of the zeta function describe the distribution of the prime numbers.

From Nature

Tell Facebook you have solved the elusive Riemann hypothesis, proving conclusively that the zeta function has its zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers.

From Washington Post

When To Use

What else does zeta mean?

Zeta is a letter of the Greek alphabet. As a letter, zeta is popularly encountered in the names of fraternities and sororities. Zeta is also popularly associated with a famous alien abduction story.In men’s rights lingo, zeta refers to a man who refuses to have their masculinity defined by or in terms of women.What are some other words related to zeta?alphaomegamanosphereincel