GAMMA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Gamma mean? 

• GAMMA (noun)
  The noun GAMMA has 3 senses:

1. the 3rd letter of the Greek alphabet

2. a unit of magnetic field strength equal to one-hundred-thousandth of an oersted

3. Portuguese navigator who led an expedition around the Cape of Good Hope in 1497; he sighted and named Natal on Christmas Day before crossing the Indian Ocean (1469-1524)

  Familiarity information: GAMMA used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GAMMA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The 3rd letter of the Greek alphabet

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("gamma" is a kind of...):

alphabetic character; letter; letter of the alphabet (the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech)

Holonyms ("gamma" is a member of...):

Greek alphabet (the alphabet used by ancient Greeks)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A unit of magnetic field strength equal to one-hundred-thousandth of an oersted

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("gamma" is a kind of...):

field strength unit (an electromagnetic unit of magnetic intensity)

Holonyms ("gamma" is a part of...):

oersted (the magnetic field strength 1 cm from a unit magnetic pole)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Portuguese navigator who led an expedition around the Cape of Good Hope in 1497; he sighted and named Natal on Christmas Day before crossing the Indian Ocean (1469-1524)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

da Gamma; Gamma; Vasco da Gamma

Instance hypernyms:

navigator (in earlier times, a person who explored by ship)

 Context examples 

Most of these have been associated with prior supernova explosions, but for many, the primary source of observed gamma rays remains unknown.

(Pulse of a Dead Star Powers Intense Gamma Rays, NASA)

Upon intratumoral administration, the prolonged expression of IFN-g by adenovirus-interferon-gamma TG1042 promotes a T helper type 1 (Th1-type) immune response and inhibits the Th2-mediated cytokine production observed in many cutaneous lymphomas.

(Adenovirus-Interferon-Gamma TG1042, NCI Thesaurus)

As an immunomodulator, miltefosine stimulates T-cells, macrophages and the expression of interleukin 3 (IL-3), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and interferon gamma (INF-gamma).

(Miltefosine, NCI Thesaurus)

AMPK is a heterotrimeric protein kinase complex that plays a key role in regulating cellular energy metabolism and is comprised of a catalytic alpha subunit and non-catalytic beta and gamma subunits.

(AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Beta, NCI Thesaurus)

In vertebrates, three main groups of actin isoforms, alpha, beta and gamma have been identified.

(Actin, Gamma 2, NCI Thesaurus/LocusLink)

This allele, which encodes RAC-gamma serine/threonine-protein kinase protein, plays a role in the regulation of cell signaling in response to insulin and growth factors.

(AKT3 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

The alpha and beta tubulins represent the major components of microtubules, while gamma tubulin plays a critical role in the nucleation of microtubule assembly.

(Microtubule, NCI Thesaurus/LocusLink)

Peripheral blood lymphocytes expressing the MOv-gamma gene may be used in the immunotherapeutic treatment of ovarian cancer.

(MOv-gamma Chimeric Receptor Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) are first harvested from a cancer patient and induced to express MOv-gamma.

(MOv-gamma, NCI Thesaurus)

A measurement of the amount of interferon gamma that is released when Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen is incubated with a biological specimen, usually blood.

(Mycobacterium tuberculosis Interferon Gamma Response, NCI Thesaurus)