elementary particle

noun

: any of the particles of which matter and energy are composed or which mediate the fundamental forces of nature
especially : one whose existence has not been attributed to the combination of other more fundamental entities

Examples of elementary particle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But why should space-time have such wild terrain, and only at the scale of elementary particles? Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024 As a young man, Dr Heil was a physics graduate working in the field of elementary particles at the CERN in Switzerland. Benny Har-Even, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024 While the Higgs tall tales suggest that mass arises from the slowing of elementary particles by a molasses-like substance, the truth is that a stronger Higgs field makes the elementary particles vibrate at higher frequencies, thus raising their masses. Matt Strassler, Quanta Magazine, 3 Sep. 2024 For the Higgs field, the curvature of the sombrero’s brim is determined by the mass of the Higgs boson, the elementary particle that conveys the Higgs field’s effects, which was discovered at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012. Quanta Magazine, 22 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for elementary particle 

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of elementary particle was in 1934

Dictionary Entries Near elementary particle

Cite this Entry

“Elementary particle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elementary%20particle. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

elementary particle

noun
: any of the particles (as electrons or photons) of matter and energy that are smaller than atoms and do not appear to be made up of a combination of more basic things

Medical Definition

elementary particle

noun
1
: any of the particles of which matter and energy are composed or which mediate the fundamental forces of nature
especially : one (as the photon or the electron) whose existence has not been attributed to the combination of other more fundamental entities
2
: one of the structural units of mitochondrial cristae that are observable by the electron microscope usually as spheres or stalked spheres and are probably the seat of fundamental energy-producing reactions

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