theta

American  

[they-tuh, thee-] / ˈθeɪ tə, ˈθi- /

noun

1. the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet (Θ, θ).

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

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theta British  

/ ˈθiːtə /

noun

1. the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet (Θ, θ), a consonant, transliterated as th

2. the lower-case form of this letter used in phonetic transcription to represent the voiceless dental fricative th as in thick, both Compare edh

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Etymology

Origin of theta

1595–1605; < Greek thêta < Semitic See teth

Example Sentences

Critically, she discovered that another polymerase, called polymerase delta, uses a buddy system with polymerase theta to assist it in this repair pathway.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2023

Polymerase delta jumps in to cut the extraneous flaps, giving polymerase theta enough room to start synthesizing new DNA to fill in gaps in the DNA strands.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2023

Stroik had another breakthrough finding: polymerases theta and delta are physically attached to one another.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2023

The five common brain-wave types, named alpha, beta, gamma, delta and theta depending on their oscillation rate, signify different states of the brain.

From Scientific American • Jun. 16, 2023

The EEG research found intensification over time of theta waves in the prefron- tal cortex, thought to be a measure of sustained attention.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel