betamax

B3E1T1A1M3A1X8

noun

a Betamax (videocassette tape)

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Beta
UncommonScrabble 18
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Meanings

betamax1

nounbetamax (plural betamaxes)

plural betamaxes

  1. a Betamax (videocassette tape)
  2. Philippinesinformalcoagulated chicken blood that is boiled, cut in to cubes, skewered and grilled to be sold as a street food

Betamax2

proper noun
  1. A home videocassette recording format developed by Sony in 1975, now known for having lost the format war to VHS.

    Synonyms: Beta

verbBetamax (third-person singular simple present Betamaxes, present participle Betamaxing, simple past and past participle Betamaxed)

present singular third person Betamaxes · participle present Betamaxing · participle past Betamaxed · past Betamaxed

  1. informaltransitiveTo make (something) obsolete.

    CRIMM RDRAM offered dramatic possibilities for high-speed PCs but ran into three roadblocks that Betamaxed it.

    2012, Michael Meyers, CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, edition 8, McGraw Hill Professional, →ISBN, page 253
    2 more examples

    If you don’t want to get Betamaxed, or stuck with a dated technology, it might be a good idea to purchase the latest, fastest computer available.

    2006, Ian David Aronson, DV Filmmaking: From Start to Finish, volume 1, O'Reilly Media, →ISBN, page 98

    DRM can't stop piracy, but it can prevent anyone from Betamaxing another industry, commercializing disruptive technology development without content-industry sanction.

    2008, Chris DiBona, Mark Stone, and Danese Cooper, Open Sources 2.0: The Continuing Evolution, O'Reilly Media, →ISBN, page 159

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA home videocassette recording format developed by Sony in 1975, now known for having lost the format war to VHS.

Similar
Beta

Origin

betamax · noun

Genericized trademark from Betamax. The food is named from their resemblance to the cuboidal videocassettes.

Full word history & related roots →

Betamax · proper noun, verb

According to Sony, the name had a double meaning: beta is the Japanese word used to describe the way in which signals are recorded on the tape; and the shape of the Greek letter beta β resembles the course of the tape through the transport. The suffix -max, from maximum, was added to suggest greatness.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

betamax. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betamax

MLA

“betamax.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betamax. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “betamax,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betamax.

Source: betamax on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.