alpha

Adjective

• early testing stage of a software or hardware product
  • alpha version
    

• 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
    

Noun

• the beginning of a series or sequence
  • the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end--Revelations
    

• the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet