Greek Alphabet & Glossary

Fraternity & Sorority Life includes traditions, symbols and language that may be new to some students and families. This page offers an accessible overview of the Greek alphabet and key terms to support understanding and engagement across our community.

Greek Alphabet
Greek Glossary

Greek Alphabet

Α – Alpha (al-fah)
Β – Beta (bay-tah)
Γ – Gamma (gam-ah)
Δ – Delta (del-tah)
Ε – Epsilon (ep-si-lon)
Ζ – Zeta (zay-tah)
Η – Eta (ay-tah)
Θ – Theta (thay-tah)
Ι – Iota (eye-o-tah)
Κ – Kappa (cap-pah)
Λ – Lambda (lamb-dah)
Μ – Mu (mew)
Ν – Nu (new)
Ξ – Xi (zie or zee)
Ο – Omicron (om-e-cron)
Π – Pi (pie)
Ρ – Rho (roe)
Σ – Sigma (sig-mah)
Τ – Tau (taw)
Υ – Upsilon (youp-si-lon)
Φ – Phi (fie or fee)
Χ – Chi (kie)
Ψ – Psi (sigh)
Ω – Omega (o-meg-ah)

Greek Glossary

Here are some commonly used terms you will hear used by members of our community:

Greek Alphabet: name, symbol and pronunciation of greek letters.
Active: Term used to refer to an undergraduate member of a fraternity or sorority. An active member has pledged and been initiated and is not studying abroad.
Alumna (female) or Alumnus (male): An initiated member who has graduated.
Bid: A formal invitation to a prospective member to join a fraternity/sorority
Bid Day: The last day of recruitment, when prospective members decide which chapter to join and sign their bids.
Big Sister or Brother: After several weeks, a new member will be assigned an initiated member to be his/her big brother or sister. This older member serves as a resource, role model, and problem solver for the new member.
Chapter: A local chartered group of a national fraternity/sorority.
Hermana: Spanish for "sister." Sigma Iota Alpha members use this term to refer to one another. It is also present in their full name Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha Incorporada or Sisterhood of Sigma Iota Alpha Incorporated.
Informational: A meeting to provide membership information to prospective NPHC or MGC members. Also referred to as an Interest meeting, or Rush in some organizations.
Fraternity: Formally, the name applied to all Greek letter organizations. Informally, the name applied to men's groups.
Graduate Chapter: College graduates who are members of a particular organization and who operate similarly to a collegiate chapter. Members may have been initiated as undergraduates or through the graduate chapter. Also referred to as Grad Chapter.
Initiation/ Induction: A ceremony in which a pledged member becomes an active member.
Crossing: The term for initiations within NPHC and some MGC organizations.
Interfraternity Council: The governing body of the on-campus IFC fraternities.
Legacy: A person whose direct relative (parent, sibling, grandparents) is an alumni or active member of a fraternity/sorority. Legacy stipulations differ for each sorority and fraternity.
Line: Used by NPHC and some MGC organizations to refer to the new members that are joining at the same time.
Membership Intake: Process by which interested persons become members of most Culturally based fraternal organizations. Generally characterized by an Informational Meeting, an application process, and interview or series of interviews, and an intensive educational process.
Multicultural Greek Council (MGC): The governing body for culturally based organizations that are national members of NAFLO, NAPA and NMGC.
Neophyte: Also commonly referred to as Neos, are newly initiated members of NPHC and MGC organizations. They often retain this designation until a new line comes through, or they have been in their chapter for around a year.
North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC): A national organization composed of 63 member men's fraternities, each of which is autonomous as a social Greek - letter society of college men and alumni.
National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association (NAPA): The umbrella organization for Asian Pacific Islander American fraternities and sororities. It was established in 2004 and has 18 organizations. Delta Phi Omega is a member of NAPA.
National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO): The umbrella organization for Latino fraternities and sororities. It was established in 1998 and has 16 organizations. Sigma Iota Alpha is a member of this organization.
National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC): The umbrella organization for multicultural and sororities. It was established in 1998 and has 11 organizations.
National Panhellenic Conference (NPC): A national organization composed of 26 member women's fraternities, each of whom is autonomous as a social Greek - letter society of college women and alumnae.
National Pan - Hellenic Council (NPHC): The governing body of the nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities.
Panhellenic Council: The governing body of the campus sororities and women's fraternities.
Pledge/New Member: A man/woman who has accepted a bid of a fraternity/sorority but is not yet initiated
Primary Recruitment: Panhellenic's primary joining process taking place at the beginning of every fall semester.
Quota: The number of potential new members each Panhellenic chapter is allowed to take during primary recruitment.
Recruitment: The process by which potential new members join Panhellenic or IFC organizations.
Recruitment Counselors: Panhellenic Sorority women carefully selected and trained to guide potential new members and answer any questions with regard to sorority recruitment
Soror(s): Member(s) of the same NPHC sororities will use this term to refer to their sister(s).
Sorority: A Greek-letter sisterhood, also called a women's fraternity
Step Show: A show characterized by synchronized hand and foot movements, along with singing, dancing, and chanting.
Total: The total allowable membership size of an NPC organization.