up·si·lon
(ŭp′sə-lŏn′, yo͞op′-)n.
The 20th letter of the Greek alphabet. See Table at alphabet.
[Late Greek ū psīlon, simple u (from the fact that oi was given the same pronunciation in Late Greek as u) : ū, hū, the letter U + psīlon, neuter of psīlos, simple (written with one letter as opposed to two).]
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upsilon
(ˈʌpsɪˌlɒn; juːpˈsaɪlən)n
(Letters of the Alphabet (Foreign)) the 20th letter in the Greek alphabet (Υ, υ), a vowel, transliterated as y or u
[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]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
up•si•lon
(ˈyup səˌlɒn, -lən, ˈʌp-; esp. Brit. yupˈsaɪ lən)n.
1. the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet (Y, υ).
2. Also called up′silon par`ticle. any of a family of heavy, short-lived, neutral mesons that are composed of a bottom quark and its antiquark. Symbol:Y, υ
[1615–25; < Late Greek ŷ psīlón literally, simple u (to distinguish it from the diagraph oi, pronounced the same in Late Greek]
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ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  upsilon - the 20th letter of the Greek alphabetGreek alphabet - the alphabet used by ancient Greeks alphabetic character, letter of the alphabet, letter - the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech; "his grandmother taught him his letters" |
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