del|ta

del|ta «DEHL tuh», noun.

1. a deposit of earth and sand that collects at the mouths of some rivers and is usually three sided: »

the delta of the Nile, the Mississippi delta.

2. the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. It is equivalent to English D, d.

3. anything shaped like a triangle; triangular space or figure. The delta of a fingerprint is the point around which the skin ridges form a triangle.

4. one of several possible positions of atoms or groups of atoms which are substituted in a chemical compound.

5. = delta wing. (Cf. ↑delta wing)

╂[< Greek délta the letter Δ or d (because of the shape of the capital)]

Del|ta «DEHL tuh», noun.

U.S. a code name for the letter d, used in transmitting radio messages.