| Noun | 1. | alpha - the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet | |
| 2. | alpha - the beginning of a series or sequence; "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end"--Revelationsstart - the beginning of anything; "it was off to a good start" | |
| Adj. | 1. | alpha - 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"important, of import - of great significance or value; "important people"; "the important questions of the day" | |
| 2. | alpha - early testing stage of a software or hardware product; "alpha version"explorative, exploratory - serving in or intended for exploration or discovery; "an exploratory operation"; "exploratory reconnaisance"; "digging an exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico"; "exploratory talks between diplomats" | |