baryon

noun

bary·​on ˈber-ē-ˌän How to pronounce baryon (audio)
ˈba-rē-
: any of a group of subatomic particles (such as nucleons) that are subject to the strong force and are composed of three quarks
baryonic adjective

Examples of baryon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Those ripples, or bubbles, are known as baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 4 Apr. 2024 Some of it would be in the form of baryons, meaning protons and neutrons—the stuff of you, me and our laptops, as well as of planets, galaxies and everything else accessible to telescopes. Richard Panek, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2023 This sparked the missing baryon problem. Popular Science, 31 May 2020 So, a doubly-charmed baryon is a particle made from two charm quarks and one up quark. Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2017 See all Example Sentences for baryon 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baryon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek barýs "heavy" + -on entry 2; so named from their greater mass relative to other subatomic particles known at the time — more at grave entry 2

Note: The name was introduced by the Dutch-American physicist Abraham Pais (1918-2000) in "On the Baryon-Meson-Photon," Progress of Theoretical Physics, vol. 10, No. 4 (October, 1953), pp. 457-69. The substance of the paper was presented at the International Conference on Theoretical Physics held in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan in September of 1953.

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of baryon was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near baryon

Cite this Entry

“Baryon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baryon. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on baryon

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