| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| gamma |
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| SYLLABICATION: | gam·ma |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  g m  |
| NOUN: | 1. The third letter of the Greek alphabet. See table at alphabet. 2. The third item in a series or system of classification. 3. A unit of magnetic intensity equal to one hundred thousandth (10-5) of an oersted. 4. A unit of mass equal to one millionth (10-6) of a gram. 5. Chemistry The third position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Greek, of Phoenician origin. See gml2 in Appendix II.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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