{i} Greek letter; beginning; brightest star in a constellation; (in Computer Graphics) fourth color component (that allows control over blending colors with a background or hidden objects)
The first letter in the Greek alphabet, answering to A, and hence used to denote the beginning
In finance, the amount by which a given asset or portfolios return exceeds a "riskless" rate of return
The highest scientific caste of people in the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The name of the symbols Α and α used in science and mathematics, often interchangeable with the symbols when used as a prefix
first in order of importance; "the alpha male in the group of chimpanzees"; "the alpha star in a constellation is the brightest or main star
the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet the beginning of a series or sequence; "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end"--Revelations early testing stage of a software or hardware product; "alpha version"