Omega

Omega (Ω ω) is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system it had a value of 800. The word literally means "big O" (omega), as opposed to Omicron, which means "little O" (omicron).[1]. Omega Ω phonetically represents a long "O" in the English language, such as the pronunciation in the word "close". Omega is often used to denote the last, the end, or the ultimate limit of a set, in contrast to Alpha, the first letter of the Greek Alphabet. Jesus declares himself to be the "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." (Revelation 22:13, KJV, and see also 1:8).

Omega has been used as the name for a wide variety of other things, for example:

  • In sociobiology when describing a dominance hierarchy in a group like a wolf pack, the Omega is the lowest rank (the highest being the "Alpha male" and "Alpha female");
  • Omega is a Swiss watch company;
  • Omega is the name of the free 16-Bit (Unicode) version of the typesetting system TeX ([2]);
  • Omega is the name of a Roguelike game;
  • Omega is a PC strategy game.
  • Omega is a fictional character from the television program Doctor Who;
  • Omega is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on Doctor Who;
  • In the television program Star Trek: Voyager, the Omega particle is a fictional chemical substance; the related Omega Directive is a top-secret Starfleet policy;
  • A line of Omega and Omegaflex roll film cameras;
  • Omega was the first worldwide radio navigation system;
  • Omega is a Hungarian rock band;
  • An optional 'superboss' present near the end of Final Fantasy V. Also a high-level mission boss in Final Fantasy XI;
  • Omega appears in Final Fantasy: Unlimited as numerous crystals and body parts needed by the Earl. Lou Lupus, a character in the show, said, "If Omega walks, the world will bend. If Omega flies, the world will break."
  • The name of the A.I. inhabiting Zero's original body in Mega Man Zero.
  • The Omega Man is a 1971 film starring Charleton Heston
  • In the TV series Babylon 5, Omega can refer to Omega class Destroyer warships, a powerful spacecraft.
  • Omega is a car model by the automobile maker Opel/Vauxhall.
  • Omega, Oklahoma is a small town in Oklahoma.
  • Omega is a sci-fi novel by Robert Sheckley about a penal colony planet Omega.
  • Omega is a classification system of fatty acids.

The upper-case letter Ω is used as a symbol:


  • For Ohm - SI unit of electrical resistance; also used upside down (℧) to represent the inverse of an ohm (mho/siemen) used for electrical conductance.
  • In computer science, in notation related to Big O notation to describe the asymptotic behavior of functions. See also Chaitin's constant;
  • Codex Athous Dionysii, an 8th/9th century uncial Greek manuscript of the Gospels on Mount Athos;
  • Omega Point, a theory about computing at the end of the universe;
  • In mathematics, the first uncountable ordinal number;
  • Also in mathematics, the Omega constant;
  • In physics, the solid angle;
  • Naoki Maeda's pseudonym for the Dance Dance Revolution song "MAX 300";
  • In combinatory logic, the looping combinator, (λ x. x x)(λ x. x x).
  • For a line of clothing produced by a company called "lululemon athletica".
  • For the Lebanese political party: the Free Patriotic Movement.

The lower-case letter ω is used as a symbol:

  • In textual criticism, the archetype of a manuscript tradition;
  • In physics, angular velocity;
  • In mathematics, the first transfinite ordinal number;
  • In combinatory logic, the self-application combinator, (λ x. x x);
  • In computer science, in notation related to Big O notation, the asymptotically dominant nature of functions.
  • In Astronomy, as a ranking of a star's brightness.

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Greek alphabet
Α α Alpha Β β Beta Γ γ Gamma
Δ δ Delta Ε ε Epsilon Ζ ζ Zeta
Η η Eta Θ θ Theta Ι ι Iota
Κ κ Kappa Λ λ Lambda Μ μ Mu
Ν ν Nu Ξ ξ Xi Ο ο Omicron
Π π Pi Ρ ρ Rho Σ σ Sigma
Τ τ Tau Υ υ Upsilon Φ φ Phi
Χ χ Chi Ψ ψ Psi Ω ω Omega

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