second letter of the Latin alphabetcorresponding to Greek betaPhoenician bethliterally "house." It "has nothing of that variety of pronunciation shown by most English letters" [Century Dictionary]. The Germanic "b" is said to represent a "bh" sound in Proto-Indo-Europeanwhich continued as "bh" in Sanskritbecame "ph" in Greek (brother/Greek phrater; bear (v.)/Greek pherein) and "f" in Latin (fraterferre).

Often indicating "second in order." B-movie is by 1939usually said to be so called from being the secondor supportingfilm in a double feature. Some film industry sources say it was so called for being the second of the two films major studios generally made in a yearand the one cast with less headline talent and released with less promotion. And early usage varies with grade-B moviesuggesting a perceived association with quality.

B-side of a gramophone single is by 1962 (flip-side is by 1949). B-girlabbreviation of bar girlU.S. slang for a woman paid to encourage customers at a bar to buy her drinksis by 1936.