The Meaning of Omega: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of omega? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word omega, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word omega mean?

According to Definitions, the omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. The uppercase version and the lowercase omega symbol look different. In the Modern Greek alphabet, this is the 24th letter. In the Ancient Greek alphabet, this is the 28th letter. The symbol Ω is uppercase, and the symbol ω is lowercase. This ​​long vowel is transliterated by the Greeks as o or the Greek ō. Omega is two syllables – o-mega. In English, we often use the term omega to refer to the end or conclusion of something since omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. 

This symbol is used in many different scientific fields including biology and biochemistry, in chemistry as oxygen-18 or to refer to a carbon atom, group theory, computer science, number theory, genomics, statistics, astronomy, cosmology, physics to refer to angular velocity or angular frequency, and more. It can refer to things like the density of the universe, a unit of electrical resistance, and many other types of variable. You might even hear it in the nutrition term omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon. 

Per Bible Study Tools, the alpha and omega are used frequently, such as when God blesses Israel from ‘aleph to taw in Leviticus 26:3-13. This is a Hebrew rendering of the Greek phrase and vice versa. It is seen in different verses of the bible in the Old Testament and New Testament, such as the book of Revelation with Jesus.

There are many different languages that contain words that mean omega. You may notice that a lot of these words look and sound similar to each other, as well as to the word omega. This is probably because these words thare a common origin such as Latin or Greek. Cognates, which are words that look, sound, and mean something similar across languages are often formed this way. This list of translations for the word omega is provided by Word Sense

  •  Maori: omeka‎
  •  Interlingua: omega‎
  •  Romanian: omega‎ (masc.)
  •  Persian: امگا‎ (omegâ)
  •  Russian: оме́га‎ (fem.)
  •  Spanish: omega‎ (fem.)
  •  Bulgarian: омега‎
  •  Malay: omega‎
  •  Mandarin: 歐米伽‎, 欧米伽‎ (ōumǐgā), 奧米伽‎, 奥米伽‎ (àomǐgā), 歐米茄‎, 欧米茄‎ (ōumǐjiā), 俄梅戛‎ (éméijiá), 俄梅格‎ (éméigé), 亞米茄‎, 亚米茄‎ (yàmǐjiā), 敖默加‎ (àomòjiā)
  •  Hungarian: ómega‎
  •  Czech: omega‎ (fem.)
  •  Catalan: omega‎ (fem.)
  •  Arabic: أُومِيغَا‎, أُومِيغَا‎, أُومِيجَا‎, أُومِيجَا‎
  •  Armenian: օմեգա‎
  •  Dutch: omega‎ (fem.)
  •  Italian: omega‎
  •  Hebrew: אוֹמֶגָה‎
  •  Portuguese: ómega‎ (masc.)
  •  German: Omega‎ (neut.)
  •  French: oméga‎ (masc.)
  •  Korean: 오메가‎
  •  Hakka: 亞米茄‎, 亚米茄‎ (â-mí-kâ)
  •  Cantonese: 歐米伽‎, 欧米伽‎ (au1 mai5 gaa1), 奧米伽‎, 奥米伽‎ (ou3 mai5 gaa1), 歐米茄‎, 欧米茄‎ (au1 mai5 gaa1), 俄梅戛‎ (ngo4 mui4 gaat3), 俄梅格‎ (ngo4 mui4 gaak3), 亞米茄‎, 亚米茄‎ (aa3 mai5 gaa1), 敖默加‎ (ngou6 mak6 gaa1)
  •  Polish: omega‎ (fem.)
  •  Finnish: oomega‎
  •  Min Nan: 阿米加‎ (o-bí-ka), 亞米茄‎, 亚米茄‎ (a-bí-ka), o͘-mè-gah‎
  •  Japanese: オメガ‎ (omega)
  •  Greek: ωμέγα‎ (neut.)
  •  Tagalog: omega‎
  •  Turkish: omega‎

What are synonyms and antonyms of omega?

There are many different words in the English language that mean the same thing as the word omega. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definitions as another word or phrase. Synonyms are very useful words to know because they can help you to avoid repeating the same word over and over again as well as expand your vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word omega is provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  expiration
  •  cessation
  •  closing
  •  z
  •  adjournment
  •  finis
  •  decease
  •  close
  •  term
  •  finish
  •  end
  •  last
  •  coda
  •  terminus
  •  ceasing
  •  accomplishment
  •  fate
  •  peroration
  •  consequence
  •  achievement
  •  swan song
  •  catastrophe
  •  termination
  •  desinence
  •  corollary
  •  desistance
  •  finale
  •  curtain
  •  consummation
  •  ending
  •  culmination
  •  conclusion
  •  windup
  •  period
  •  bitter end
  •  completion
  •  execution
  •  cease
  •  death
  •  closure
  •  payoff
  •  resolution
  •  extremity
  •  denouement
  •  izzard
  •  last word
  •  attainment
  •  endpoint
  •  destiny
  •  curtains

There are also many different words in the English language that mean the opposite of the word omega. These are called antonyms. Antonyms are also a useful English language tool to help you expand your vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word omega is also provided by Power Thesaurus

  •  nascency
  •  origination
  •  origin
  •  beginning
  •  procreation
  •  inception
  •  start
  •  starting point
  •  source
  •  day one
  •  origins
  •  inauguration
  •  onset
  •  generation
  •  nativity
  •  initiation
  •  root
  •  outset
  •  kickoff
  •  conception
  •  emergence
  •  beginnings
  •  evolution
  •  birth
  •  roots
  •  spring
  •  rise
  •  birthplace
  •  derivation
  •  advent
  •  fountainhead
  •  incipiency
  •  commencement
  •  alpha
  •  formation
  •  genesis
  •  opening
  •  provenance
  •  infancy
  •  dawning
  •  dawn
  •  propagation
  •  font
  •  fountain
  •  nascence
  •  cause
  •  creation
  •  mother
  •  incipience
  •  development
  •  cradle

What are the other letters of the Greek alphabet?

The Greek alphabet contains many other letters. These are very useful to know and you may see them frequently. Greek symbols are often used in many different scientific fields as well as on sororities and fraternities. Hence, they are called Greek life. These are listed below, from Britannica. Try to study these different Greek letters. They are listed below in their upper and lower cases, as well as the name of the letter in English. Finally, there is the approximate pronunciation of the letter in English.

  •  Α – α – Alpha – a  
  •  Β – β – Beta – b  
  •  Γ – γ – Gamma – g 
  •  Δ – δ – Delta – d  
  •  Ε – ε – Epsilon – e  
  •  Ζ – ζ – Zeta – z  
  •  Η – η – Eta – h  
  •  Θ – θ – Theta – th  
  •  Ι – ι – Iota – i  
  •  Κ – κ – Kappa – k  
  •  Λ – λ – Lambda – l  
  •  Μ – μ – Mu – m  
  •  Ν – ν – Nu – n  
  •  Ξ – ξ – Xi – x
  •  Ο – ο – Omicron – o
  •  Π – π – Pi – p
  •  Ρ – ρ – Rho – r
  •  Σ – σ,ς * – Sigma – s
  •  Τ – τ – Tau – t
  •  Υ – υ – Upsilon – u 
  •  Φ – φ – Phi – ph
  •  Χ – χ – Chi – ch
  •  Ψ – ψ – Psi – ps
  •  Ω – ω – Omega – o

Overall, the word omega refers to the twenty-fourth letter of the Classical and the Modern Greek alphabet, as well as the twenty-eighth letter of the Old and the Ancient Greek alphabet. This is the last  letter of every Greek alphabet. The Dorian city of Knidos as well as a few Aegean islands, namely Paros, Thasos and Melos also used variants on the omega, per Mythologian.

Sources:

  1. Alpha And Omega Definition and Meaning – Bible Dictionary | Bible Study Tools 
  2. Omega Symbol/Sign and Its Meaning | Mythologian 
  3. What does Omega mean? | Definitions  
  4. Omega synonyms – 183 Words and Phrases for Omega | Power Thesaurus 
  5. Omega antonyms – 25 Opposites of Omega | Power Thesaurus 
  6. omega: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  7. Greek alphabet | History, Definition, & Facts | Britannica