[ 'bi:tə ]
■ noun
1》 the second letter of the Greek alphabet ( Β , β ), transliterated as ‘b’.
↘[as modifier ] denoting the second of a series of items or categories.
↘ Brit. a second-class mark given for a piece of work.
2》 [as modifier ] relating to ~ decay or ~ particles.
3》 (also ~ coefficient ) a measure of the movement in price of a security relative to the stock market, used to indicate possible risk.
Origin
via L. from Gk.