betamax

Etymology

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.

name

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

noun

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

verb

To make (something) obsolete.“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.”