I’ve only recently truly understood the meaning of the word alpha in different fields and realized that my previous understanding was too one-sided.

First, let’s talk about the etymology. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, uppercase Α, lowercase α. But its origin goes even further—coming from the Phoenician letter “aleph.” Interestingly, the Phoenician alphabet contained only consonants; when the Greeks borrowed it, they turned it into a vowel letter, which led to “Alpha.” Around 1300 years ago, this word entered the English-speaking world.

In Greek culture, Alpha represents the beginning, and Omega represents the end. The New Testament states: “I am the Alpha and the Omega; I am the beginning and the end.” This symbolic meaning deeply influenced Western civilization’s understanding of the start and end of things.

The application scope of alpha is much broader than I thought. In astronomy, starting with Bayer’s star maps in 1603, people used Greek letters to name constellations, with the brightest star called “Alpha star.” Beginning in the 1620s, Alpha was also used to denote the first in a sequence. By the 1960s, scientists studying animals started using “Alpha male” to refer to the dominant individual in a group—those strong, confident males in leadership positions. Around the 1990s, this concept was introduced into human sociology to describe individuals with leadership qualities within a group.

So, alpha’s meaning is not just a letter; it has evolved into a concept that spans multiple fields—symbolizing beginnings, the first, and leadership. No wonder in finance, alpha is also used to refer to excess returns. The development of language truly reflects humanity’s deepening understanding of the world.