upsilon

[ yoop-suh-lon, -luhn, uhp-; especially British yoop-sahy-luhn ]

noun

1. the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet (Υ, υ).
2. the vowel sound represented by this letter.
3. Also called upsilon particle. Physics. any of a family of heavy, short-lived, neutral mesons that are composed of a bottom quark and its antiquark. : Υ, υ

upsilon

/ ˈʌpsɪˌlɒn; juːpˈsaɪlən /

noun

1. the 20th letter in the Greek alphabet (Υ, υ), a vowel, transliterated as y or u

Word History and Origins

Origin of upsilon¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Late Greek ŷ psīlón, literally, “simple u ” (to distinguish it from the digraph oi, pronounced the same in Late Greek )

Word History and Origins

Origin of upsilon¹

C17: from Medieval Greek u psilon simple u, name adopted for graphic u to avoid confusion with graphic oi, since pronunciation was the same for both in Late Greek

Example Sentences

Upsilon is represented by y in English words; in Greek it has always the sound of u in mute.

From Literature

The Delta Upsilon International Fraternity’s Loss Prevention policy defines mental hazing as causing an individual or group of individuals to “endure brutality of a mental nature, including but not limited to activity adversely affecting the mental health or dignity of the individual, sleep deprivation, exclusion from social contact or conduct that could result in extreme embarrassment or endure threats of such conduct that results in mental or physical harm.”

From Seattle Times

And Last: The Empress comes down with a breakthrough case of the upsilon variant and loses her senses of taste and humor.

From Washington Post

When the Journal-World in October asked KU why the list of Delta Upsilon violations hadn’t led to a suspension earlier, a spokeswoman said KU didn’t have a formal policy of “strikes” or “chances” when deciding to discipline a campus organization.

From Washington Times

How KU has dealt with hazing and other incidents at the Delta Upsilon fraternity is a fine example of KU’s recent errors.

From Washington Times