Added 10 October 2026
delta
/ˈdɛltə/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about delta at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Alternative letter-case form of Delta of the ICAO/NATO radiotelephony alphabet.
noun
verb
- To calculate the differences between the characters in an enciphered text and the characters a fixed number of positions previous.
- To compare two versions of the same file in order to determine where they differ (where a programmer has made edits).
Origin
From Ancient Greek δέλτα (délta), borrowed from a Phoenician word for "door", ultimately from Proto-Semitic *dalt-. Doublet of dalet. * (river): from the triangular shape of the majuscule Greek letter delta Δ * (USSF): from the delta wing, symbol of the USSF, a triangular wing, shaped like the majuscule Greek letter delta Δ
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)