gamma
noun
gam·ma
| \ ˈga-mə
\
\
Definition of gamma
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: the 3rd letter of the Greek alphabet — see Alphabet Table
2
: the degree of contrast of a developed photographic image or of a video image
3
: a unit of magnetic flux density equal to one nanotesla
4
: gamma ray
gamma counter
5
: microgram
gamma
adjectiveDefinition of gamma (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: of, relating to, or being one of three or more closely related chemical substances
2
: third in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom
—symbol γ
Examples of gamma in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The observatory had detected an outburst of gravitational waves, or ripples in spacetime, and an orbiting gamma-ray telescope had simultaneously seen electromagnetic radiation emanating from the same region of space. — Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, "Faced with a Data Deluge, Astronomers Turn to Automation," 21 Aug. 2019 White Carolinas are full of gamma-Decalactone, esters that convey the flavor of a mid-summer peach. — Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, "Rosé Berries Have Arrived," 11 Aug. 2019 Working out at the gym to keep pumped to gamma-ray levels, Ferrigno sometimes saw green sweat oozing from his pores. — Matt Wake | [email protected], al.com, "Marvel Comics icons talk Hulk, Stan Lee, Avengers, more," 6 Mar. 2019 Even more exciting, the bright gamma-ray glow fit quite well to dark matter being annihilated into a pair of matter/antimatter quarks. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Gamma ray evidence for dark matter outshone by a flock of pulsars," 10 Aug. 2018 Some of that atmospheric radiation makes its way into wine bottles, where it can be measured with a common gamma detector. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Traces of the Fukushima Meltdown Can Be Found in California Wines," 21 July 2018 The $690 million spacecraft launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 11, 2008, on a mission to study gamma-rays, the highest-energy form of light in the universe. — Hanneke Weitering, Space.com, "NASA's Fermi Space Telescope Celebrates 10 Years of Gamma-Ray Science," 13 June 2018 Tanaka also works on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which has been taking images of the entire gamma-ray sky every three hours for about 10 years. — Mark Bowen, Scientific American, "Neutrinos on Ice: Astronomers' Long Hunt for Source of Extragalactic "Ghost Particles" Pays Off," 12 July 2018 Six days after Tanaka’s alert, the operators of MAGIC, the Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope on the La Palma Canary Island, announced the observation of very high-energy gammas coming from TXS. — Mark Bowen, Scientific American, "Neutrinos on Ice: Astronomers' Long Hunt for Source of Extragalactic "Ghost Particles" Pays Off," 12 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
There are neuroscientists who think that gamma rhythms, fast brain waves that fluctuate at a frequency of approximately 40 cycles per second, play this role. — Diana Kwon, Scientific American, "“Metronome” Neurons Act Like Timekeepers in Mouse Brains," 18 July 2019 In addition to remaining unperturbed by the outside world, this specific subset of cells tended to spike regularly at gamma-range intervals, like a metronome. — Diana Kwon, Scientific American, "“Metronome” Neurons Act Like Timekeepers in Mouse Brains," 18 July 2019 Researchers also observe an increase in gamma waves, synchronized firing by groups of neurons at a frequency implicated with conscious awareness and executive functions such as voluntary action and decision-making. — Achilleas Pavlou, Quartz, "A lucid dream researcher’s tips for controlling your dreams," 29 June 2019 Gupta says the team would like to include a gamma-ray detector in their instruments in future to help solidify the connection. — Adam Mann, National Geographic, "Most powerful electrical storm on record detected," 23 Apr. 2019 Happy birthday, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope! NASA's most advanced gamma-ray observatory is celebrating 10 years of scientific discoveries this week. — Hanneke Weitering, Space.com, "NASA's Fermi Space Telescope Celebrates 10 Years of Gamma-Ray Science," 13 June 2018 That spacecraft traced the neutrino back to an obscure dot in the sky, a distant galaxy known as TXS 0506+056, just off the left shoulder of the constellation Orion, which was having a high-energy outburst of X-rays and gamma-rays. — Dennis Overbye, New York Times, "It Came From a Black Hole, and Landed in Antarctica," 12 July 2018 This revealed phytanic acid (frequently found in the fat and milk of ruminants), azelaic acid (common in wholegrain cereals) and gamma-terpinene (typically found in herbs like coriander). — The Economist, "A mummy’s final meal adds to an ancient mystery," 12 July 2018 Of course the frisker was measuring gamma waves in addition to alpha and beta particles; all these people presumably cared about was the particles, which could continue to do harm after being removed from the zone. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "As Innocuous as Plant No. 1," 10 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gamma.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for gamma
gamma
noun
English Language Learners Definition of gamma
: the third letter of the Greek alphabet
See the full definition for gamma in the English Language Learners Dictionary
gamma
noun
gam·ma
| \ ˈgam-ə
\
\
Medical Definition of gamma
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: the third letter of the Greek alphabet
—symbol Γ or γ
2
: a unit of magnetic flux density equal to one nanotesla
3
: gamma ray
—usually used as the attributive form of gamma ray
gamma counter
gamma
adjective
variants:
or γ-
Medical Definition of gamma (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: of or relating to one of three or more closely related chemical substances
the gamma chain of hemoglobin γ-yohimbine
—used somewhat arbitrarily to specify ordinal relationship or a particular physical form and especially one that is allotropic, isomeric, or stereoisomeric (as in gamma benzene hexachloride)
2
: third in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom
also
: occurring at or having a structure characterized by such a position
γ-hydroxy acids
3
of streptococci
: producing no hemolysis on blood agar plates