alpha

From the Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha), the first letter of the Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”). Doublet of alif and aleph.

And thank you. Seriously. I'll call you later.
You better. I'm feeling pretty alpha now.
Yes, you are.

(of person, object or action) Exhibiting characteristics of the alpha male/female archetype.


beta

en-noun

beta (countable and uncountable, plural betas)

From Ancient Greek βῆτα (bêta). Doublet of beth.

“I guess in your psychological language of alpha males and beta males, I would be firmly in the camp that prefers the more laid-back betas,” she took a deep breath, “like your father.”

2006, Catherine Mann, Blaze of Glory, Harlequin, published 2006, →ISBN:

“They want sexy, virile alpha males, yes? But that doesn't come with sensitive and loyal and all of that. That's a beta. A frickin' collie, Lola. […]

2010, L. A. Banks, “Dog Tired (of the Drama!)”, in Kevin J. Anderson, editor, Blood Lite II: Overbite, Gallery Books, →ISBN, page 121:

She'd always had a thing for alpha males. Not that she had any intention of being bossed around, even if one had her best interests at heart. Her fascination with alphas was that they were a challenge. Betas didn't hold much of an appeal.

2010, Terry Spear, Wolf Fever, Sourcebooks Casablanca, published 2010, →ISBN, page 24:

When they ride the cock carousel in preference to the responsible betas that they find so boring, well, we guess that they pay.

2015, Stephen Jarosek, Tyrants of Matriarchy:

News of Harper-Mercer's murder spree, which killed ten, prompted speculation on neoreactionary forums that the long-awaited “beta uprising” of virginal shut-ins had begun. Not quite. But in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, a large audience of Americans finally saw the real beta uprising in the violent Nazi rally that shut the city down

2018, Corey Pein, Live Work Work Work Die:

(slang, manosphere, masculism) Ellipsis of beta male, a man who is less competent or desirable than an alpha male.


omega

From Middle English, from Ancient Greek ὦ μέγα (ô méga), meaning “great ω” (omega is a long vowel in Ancient Greek).

The fact that the letter was incised above the line indicates that it is probably an omega.

2013, Albert Schachter, Fabienne Marchand, “Fresh Light on the Institutions and Religious Life of Thespiai: Sixe New Inscriptions from the Thespiai Survey”, in Paraskevi Martzavou, Nikolaos Papazarkadas, editors, Epigraphical Approaches to the Post-Classical, Polis, page 284:

The twenty-fourth letter of the Classical and the Modern Greek alphabet, and the twenty-eighth letter of the Old and the Ancient Greek alphabet, i.e. the last letter of every Greek alphabet. Uppercase version: Ω; lowercase: ω.

(set theory) A transfinite ordinal number referring to the next position after ordering a countably infinite set.

Often omegas go into heat and release pheromones that drive alphas wild.

2013, Kristina Busse, “Pon Farr, Mpreg, Bonds, and the Rise of the Omegaverse”, in Anne Jamison, editor, Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World, page 317:

By writing a male character as an omega, experiences of being treated as other in female-coded ways are imagined to be experienced by a character who represents the male norm.

2017, Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega? Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 5

Sweet as Peaches on the Tongue can be defined as the typical dark A/B/O story, wherein a rich alpha gentleman (Dr. Hannibal Lecter) comes across a very young, virginal omega (Will Graham) by accident.

2018, Laura Campillo Arnaiz, “When the Omega Empath Met the Alpha Doctor: An Analysis of Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics in the Hannibal Fandom”, in Ashton Spacey, editor, The Darker Side of Slash Fan Fiction, page 126:

(fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, a person of a submissive secondary sex driven by biology, magic, or other means to bond with an alpha, with males of this type often being able to get pregnant.


heat

heat (countable and uncountable, plural heats)

From Middle English hete, from Old English hǣtu, from Proto-West Germanic *haitī, from Proto-Germanic *haitį̄ (“heat”), from Proto-Indo-European *keHy- (“heat; hot”). Cognate with Scots hete (“heat”), North Frisian hiet (“heat”), Old High German heizī (“heat”). Related also to Dutch hitte (“heat”), German Hitze (“heat”), Swedish hetta (“heat”), Icelandic hiti (“heat”).

op hitte

Some stories engage in dub-con scenarios where one or both partners are out of their minds with heat lust and lose all reasoning and inhibitions.

2013, Kristina Busse, “Pon Farr, Mpreg, Bonds, and the Rise of the Omegaverse”, in Anne Jamison, editor, Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World, page 321:

When Yuri goes into his first heat, it is not only an uncomfortable and traumatic physical experience, it is also an identity crisis: this is the moment realizes that he is an omega, and not a beta as he had previously assumed.

2017, Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega? Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 40

Hannibal's first kiss and his alpha saliva trigger Will's heat, […]

2018, Laura Campillo Arnaiz, “When the Omega Empath Met the Alpha Doctor: An Analysis of Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics in the Hannibal Fandom”, in Ashton Spacey, editor, The Darker Side of Slash Fan Fiction, page 127:

(uncountable) A condition where a mammal is aroused sexually or where it is especially fertile and therefore eager to mate; oestrus.

(countable, fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, a cyclical period in which omegas experience an intense, sometimes irresistible biological urge to mate.

professional wrestling
professional wrestling

(professional wrestling slang) A negative reaction from the audience, especially as a heel (or bad character), or in general.


knot

From Middle English knotte, from Old English cnotta, from Proto-West Germanic *knottō, from Proto-Germanic *knuttô, *knudô (“knot”); probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gnod- (“to bind”).
See also Old High German knoto (German Knoten, Dutch knot, Low German Knütte; also Old Norse knútr > Danish knude, Swedish knut, Norwegian knute, Faroese knútur, Icelandic hnútur; also Latin nōdus and its Romance descendants. Doublet of knout, node, and nodus.
* (unit of speed): From the practice of counting the number of knots in the log-line (as it is paid out) in a standard time. Traditionally spaced at one every ¹⁄₁₂₀ of a mile.

Since the knot won't release until the alpha has finished and can't be controlled by either party, the sex has to go on until it's done.

2014 July 18, Mark Shrayber, “'Knotting' Is the Weird Fanfic Sex Trend That Cannot Be Unseen”, in Jezebel:

The pair cannot separate until the knot has subsided – anywhere from twenty minutes to hours, depending on the fic.

2017, Taylor Boulware, "Fascination/Frustration: Slash Fandom, Genre, and Queer Uptake", dissertation submitted to the University of Washington, page 155

When John bites down on Sherlock's neck as his knot locks them together, the act which would otherwise be a tool for domination only reinforces the existing emotional bonds they have for each other.

2017, Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega? Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 89

(fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, a bulbus glandis-like structure on the penis of a male alpha, which ties him to an omega during intercourse.


present

en-verb

present (third-person singular simple present presents, present participle presenting, simple past and past participle presented)

presents (present singular third-person)
presenting (participle present)
presented (participle past)
presented (past)

From Middle English presenten, from Old French presenter, from Latin praesentāre (“to show”), from praesent-, praesens, present participle of praeesse (“be in front of”).

Sherlock’s gender performance itself remains unchanged, with the exception of the hormonal changes he goes through after presenting as an omega.

2018, Ninna Ilias, "Reimagining Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Gender Performativity", thesis submitted to Radboud University, page 59

People “present” their secondary genders during puberty, so girls and boys are raised without knowing if they will be alphas, betas, or omegas.

2019, Tessa Baron, "Just Go Find Yourself a Nice Alpha: Gender and Consent in Supernatural Fandom's Alpha/Beta/Omega Universe", thesis submitted to Oregon State University, page 17

Deans kräftige Statur und Größe kommen eher dem stereotypischen Körperbau eines Alphas nahe als dem eines Omegas, was die große Enttäuschung seines Vaters verursachte, der erwartete, dass er als Alpha präsentiert.

2020, Goldmann, Julia Elena, “Wie schreibt man Haus... Mpreg Fan Fiction und Konzepte von Körpern, Geschlecht und Familie [How to Write House… Mpreg Fan Fiction and Concepts of Bodies, Gender and Family]”, in Hausbacher, Eva, Herbst, Liesa, Ostwald, Julia, Thiele, Martina, editors, geschlecht_transkulturell: Aktuelle Forschungsperspektiven [gender_transcultural: current research perspectives], 1st edition, Wiesbaden: Springer VS, published 2020, →DOI, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 262:

Dean’s strong build and height come closer to the stereotypical build of an Alpha than to an Omega, which caused the huge disappointment for his father, who expected him to present as an Alpha.

(fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, to have one's secondary sex (alpha, omega, or beta) become apparent, typically at puberty.


rut

rut (third-person singular simple present ruts, present participle rutting, simple past and past participle rutted)

ruts (present singular third-person)
rutting (participle present)
rutted (participle past)
rutted (past)

From Middle English rutte (noun) and rutten (verb), from Old French rut (“noise, roar, bellowing”), from Latin rugītus, from rugīre (“to roar”).

der

(intransitive) To have sexual intercourse.


slick

From Middle English slicke, slike, slyke, from Old English slīc (“sleek, smooth; crafty, cunning, slick”), from Proto-Germanic *slīkaz (“sleek, smooth”),
from Proto-Indo-European *sleyg-, *sleyǵ- (“to glide, smooth, spread”). Akin to Dutch sluik, dialectal Dutch sleek (“even, smooth”), Old Norse slíkr (“sleek, smooth”), Old English slician (“to make sleek, smooth, or glossy”).

cog

(by extension, hydrodynamics, US, dated) A rapidly-expanding ring of dark water, resembling an oil slick, around the site of a large underwater explosion at shallow depth, marking the progress through the water of the shock wave generated by the explosion.

Many of the stories in SSB [Sex Behind Bars] first appeared in gay slicks, Mandate, Honcho, First Hand, et al.

1981 December 1, Freddie Greenfield, “Insulting Prison Porn”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 20, page 11:

When Carver, wild to be published in a major slick, decided to accept the changes, Maryann accused him “of being a whore, of selling out to the establishment.”

2009 November 20, Stephen King, “Raymond Carver’s Life and Stories”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

I spent two fucking days locked up in that hotel room, miserable and hating myself and drenched in my own slick!

2017, "Tessa on Ice", quoted in Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega?: Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 41

For his ruts, Castiel orders slick from a single donor, who is, unbeknownst to him, Dean, who lives at the Roadhouse and is in contact with many of his colleagues and rescuees.

2019, Tessa Barone, "Just Go Find Yourself a Nice Alpha: Gender and Consent in Supernatural Fandom's Alpha/Beta/Omega Universe", thesis submitted to Oregon State University, page 32

She observed another parallel to menstruation, namely the abundance of 'slick' that Omegas produce when they go into heat, which mainly functions as an anal lubricant.

2019, Chris van der Vegt, "The Second Genders: Utopia and Dystopia in Stranger Things Omegaverse Fanfiction", thesis submitted to Utrecht University, page 23

(fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, the copious, lubricating bodily fluid produced by an omega in heat.


mpreg

(fandom slang) Abbreviation of male pregnancy.


A/B/O

Many A/B/O stories posit societies where biological imperatives divide people based on wolf pack hierarchies into sexual dominants (alphas), sexual submissives (omegas), and everyone else (betas).

2013, Kristina Busse, "Pon Farr, Mpreg, Bonds, and the Rise of the Omegaverse", in Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World (ed. Anne Jamison), page 317

It also harnesses the a/b/o trope to increase the stakes of intimacy and trust in the context of sexual encounters, and to intensify descriptions of desire and sexual pleasure.

2017, Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega? Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 103

What is interesting is how A/B/O stories explore these sexual scripts, and how the characters in them negotiate the disjunctures between the dominant scripts and their desires in their own lives and interpersonal relationships, […]

2018, Milena Popova, "‘Dogfuck rapeworld’: Omegaverse fanfiction as a critical tool in analyzing the impact of social power structures on intimate relationships and sexual consent", Porn Studies

(fandom slang) A subgenre of erotic speculative fiction (originating in fan fiction) in which humanity has a dominance hierarchy based on stereotypical wolf pack dynamics, consisting of alphas (dominants), omegas (submissives), and betas (neutrals).


omegaverse

Still, just as important as the kinky aspects of the omegaverse are the emotional ones: the forcefulness of heat cycles and impulsive desire, the inevitability of imprinting and bonds, the joys and horrors of mpreg.

2013, Kristina Busse, “Pon Farr, Mpreg, Bonds, and the Rise of the Omegaverse”, in Anne Jamison, editor, Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World, page 321:

What omegaverse fanfiction does is to construct imaginary bodies and societies based on premises drawn from the discourses that surround sex and gender, and imagine what situations would arise if those premises were embodied and experienced by a familiar pop-cultural figure.

2017, Marianne Gunderson, "What is an omega? Rewriting sex and gender in omegaverse fanfiction", thesis submitted to the University of Oslo, page 102

It may be worth considering if dark Omegaverse slash fiction, with its descriptions of excruciatingly detailed and shocking sexual fantasies, is a reflection of the social reality both fan fiction authors and readers have experienced within an unequal and discriminatory patriarchal society.

2018, Laura Campillo Arnaiz, “When the Omega Empath Met the Alpha Doctor: An Analysis of Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics in the Hannibal Fandom”, in Ashton Spacey, editor, The Darker Side of Slash Fan Fiction, page 125:


claiming mark

But all I could do, all I wanted to do, was hold her tight against my chest and breathe in the scent of our union and the blood trickling from her new claiming mark.

2019, Nora Ash, Ragnarök Rising, unnumbered page:

He knew that I enjoyed discipline as much as I enjoyed feeling the nip of his teeth over the claiming mark.

2020, L. V. Lane, Omega Awakening, unnumbered page:

Once I give her my claiming mark, Roderick can't do anything to me.

2021, Vivian Murdoch, Dark Revolution, unnumbered page:

(fiction) In speculative erotica, a scar or mark on a person's body signifying their permanent bond to another, typically the result of a bite.


claiming bite

“The neck, the chest, I've heard of men with claiming bites on their ass or thighs.”

2015, Ellis Leigh, Claiming Their Forever, unnumbered page:

In the full glow of the moon, I could just make out the dark bruise of my claiming bite on her neck.

2017, Steffanie Holmes, Wedding the Wolf, unnumbered page:

They wore matching wedding bands instead of claiming bites.

2021, Tanya Chris, Omega Revealed, unnumbered page:

(fiction) In speculative erotica, a bite given by one person to another to form a permanent bond, typically leaving a scar or mark.


mating mark

The male crab observed in this study did not have mating marks prior to picking up the female.

1966, Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, volume 23, numbers 7-2, page 1323:

Dependable indicators of female mating activity have been revealed, but mating activity of males has only been indirectly inferred through examination of so-called “mating marks”, presumably created during the premating embrace between a male and female.

2006, Justin C. Ainsworth, "An evaluation of the use of mating marks as an indicator of mating success in male Dungeness crabs", thesis submitted to Humboldt State University, page iii

Observations of female White Sharks with relatively recent mating marks are rare in CC [Central California].

2012, Michael L. Domeier, Global Perspectives on the Biology and Life History of the White Shark, page 165:

(zoology, rare) A lasting mark or wound sustained during copulation in certain species.

Especially not after seeing a mating mark on Wilder's shoulder.

2017, Rosa Swan, My Mate's Mark, unnumbered page:

As romance novels often end with a marriage, ABO fics will often end with the mating mark.

2019, Tessa Barone, "Just Go Find Yourself a Nice Alpha: Gender and Consent in Supernatural Fandom's Alpha/Beta/Omega Universe", thesis submitted to Oregon State University, page 10

He wore no mating mark on his neck, but he often referred to us as his “pack.”

2019, Kallie Traylor, Divided We Fall, unnumbered page:


mating bite

Differences in courtship behavior among higher taxa include use of the spurs by male pythons and boas, mating bites by some colubrids, […]

1997, Harry W. Greene, Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature, page 127:

Most of the wounds inflicted by these mating bites heal fairly quickly, but sometimes they can be quite severe.

Females bearing mating bites are seen from early May to early August, with the majority seen in May.

2017, Jose I. Castro, The Sharks of North America, page 436:

(zoology) A bite performed during copulation in certain species.

“When the mating bites are exchanged, the two souls link. Then the werewolf can live as long as his vampire mate.”

2017, Cynthia Eden, Forbidden Bite, unnumbered page:

Once mated with another character, characters have the option of performing the “mating bite,” which irreversibly bonds the lovers to one another.

He sucked a hickey along the side of Ash's throat, right where his mating bite would soon go.

2021, Marcy Jacks, Mating for Convenience, page 36: