14 results for: Atomic

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

a·tom·ic

Audio Help [uh-tom-ik] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	of, pertaining to, resulting from, or using atoms, atomic energy, or atomic bombs: an atomic explosion.

2.	propelled or driven by atomic energy: an atomic submarine.

3.	Chemistry. existing as free, uncombined atoms.

4.	extremely minute.

Also, a·tom·i·cal.

[Origin: 1670–80; atom + -ic

]

—Related forms

a·tom·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Atomic

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

a·tom·ic Audio Help (ə-tŏm'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Of or relating to an atom or atoms.
Of or employing nuclear energy: an atomic submarine; atomic weapons.
Very small; infinitesimal.

a·tom'i·cal·ly adv.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

atomic
adjective
1.	of or relating to or comprising atoms; "atomic structure"; "atomic hydrogen"
2.	(weapons) deriving destructive energy from the release of atomic energy; "nuclear war"; "nuclear weapons"; "atomic bombs" [syn: nuclear] [ant: conventional]
3.	immeasurably small

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

atomic Audio Help (ə-tŏm'ĭk) Pronunciation Key

Relating to an atom or to atoms.
Employing nuclear energy.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

atomic jargon
(From Greek "atomos", indivisible) Indivisible; cannot be split up.
For example, an instruction may be said to do several things "atomically", i.e. all the things are done immediately, and there is no chance of the instruction being half-completed or of another being interspersed. Used especially to convey that an operation cannot be interrupted.
An atomic data type has no internal structure visible to the program. It can be represented by a flat domain (all elements are equally defined). Machine integers and Booleans are two examples.
An atomic database transaction is one which is guaranteed to complete successfully or not at all. If an error prevents a partially-performed transaction from proceeding to completion, it must be "backed out" to prevent the database being left in an inconsistent state.
[The Jargon File]
(2000-04-03)

Jargon File - Cite This Source - Share This

atomic

adj. [from Gk. `atomos', indivisible] 1. Indivisible; cannot be split up. For example, an instruction may be said to do several things `atomically', i.e., all the things are done immediately, and there is no chance of the instruction being half-completed or of another being interspersed. Used esp. to convey that an operation cannot be screwed up by interrupts. "This routine locks the file and increments the file's semaphore atomically." 2. [primarily techspeak] Guaranteed to complete successfully or not at all, usu. refers to database transactions. If an error prevents a partially-performed transaction from proceeding to completion, it must be "backed out," as the database must not be left in an inconsistent state.

Computer usage, in either of the above senses, has none of the connotations that `atomic' has in mainstream English (i.e. of particles of matter, nuclear explosions etc.).

Jargon File 4.2.0

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Atomic City, ID (city, FIPS 3970) Location: 43.44429 N, 112.81255 W
Population (1990): 25 (23 housing units)
Area: 0.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Atomic

A*tom"ic\, Atomical \A*tom"ic*al\, a. [Cf. F. atomique.]

1. Of or pertaining to atoms.

2. Extremely minute; tiny.

Atomic philosophy, or Doctrine of atoms, a system which, assuming that atoms are endued with gravity and motion, accounted thus for the origin and formation of all things. This philosophy was first broached by Leucippus, was developed by Democritus, and afterward improved by Epicurus, and hence is sometimes denominated the Epicurean philosophy.

Atomic theory, or the Doctrine of definite proportions (Chem.), teaches that chemical combinations take place between the supposed ultimate particles or atoms of bodies, in some simple ratio, as of one to one, two to three, or some other, always expressible in whole numbers.

Atomic weight (Chem.), the weight of the atom of an element as compared with the weight of the atom of hydrogen, taken as a standard.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Atomic

At"om*ism\, n. [Cf. F. atomisme.] The doctrine of atoms. See Atomic philosophy, under Atomic.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Atomic

Com*bine"\, v. i. 1. To form a union; to agree; to coalesce; to confederate.

You with your foes combine, And seem your own destruction to design --Dryden.

So sweet did harp and voice combine. --Sir W. Scott.

2. To unite by affinity or natural attraction; as, two substances, which will not combine of themselves, may be made to combine by the intervention of a third.

3. (Card Playing) In the game of casino, to play a card which will take two or more cards whose aggregate number of pips equals those of the card played.

Combining weight (Chem.), that proportional weight, usually referred to hydrogen as a standard, and for each element fixed and exact, by which an element unites with another to form a distinct compound. The combining weights either are identical with, or are multiples or submultiples of, the atomic weight. See Atomic weight, under Atomic, a.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Atomic

Ep`i*cu*re"an\ (?; 277), a. [L. Epicureus, Gr. ?: cf. ['e]picurien.]

1. Pertaining to Epicurus, or following his philosophy. "The sect Epicurean." --Milton.

2. Given to luxury; adapted to luxurious tastes; luxurious; pertaining to good eating.

Courses of the most refined and epicurean dishes. --Prescott.

Epicurean philosophy. See Atomic philosophy, under Atomic.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Atomic

The"o*ry\, n.; pl. Theories. [F. th['e]orie, L. theoria, Gr. ? a beholding, spectacle, contemplation, speculation, fr. ? a spectator, ? to see, view. See Theater.]

1. A doctrine, or scheme of things, which terminates in speculation or contemplation, without a view to practice; hypothesis; speculation.

Note: "This word is employed by English writers in a very loose and improper sense. It is with them usually convertible into hypothesis, and hypothesis is commonly used as another term for conjecture. The terms theory and theoretical are properly used in opposition to the terms practice and practical. In this sense, they were exclusively employed by the ancients; and in this sense, they are almost exclusively employed by the Continental philosophers." --Sir W. Hamilton.

2. An exposition of the general or abstract principles of any science; as, the theory of music.

3. The science, as distinguished from the art; as, the theory and practice of medicine.

4. The philosophical explanation of phenomena, either physical or moral; as, Lavoisier's theory of combustion; Adam Smith's theory of moral sentiments.

Atomic theory, Binary theory, etc. See under Atomic, Binary, etc.

Syn: Hypothesis, speculation.

Usage: Theory, Hypothesis. A theory is a scheme of the relations subsisting between the parts of a systematic whole; an hypothesis is a tentative conjecture respecting a cause of phenomena.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Atomic

Weight\, n. [OE. weght, wight, AS. gewiht; akin to D. gewigt, G. gewicht, Icel. v[ae]tt, Sw. vigt, Dan. v[ae]gt. See Weigh, v. t.]

1. The quality of being heavy; that property of bodies by which they tend toward the center of the earth; the effect of gravitative force, especially when expressed in certain units or standards, as pounds, grams, etc.

Note: Weight differs from gravity in being the effect of gravity, or the downward pressure of a body under the influence of gravity; hence, it constitutes a measure of the force of gravity, and being the resultant of all the forces exerted by gravity upon the different particles of the body, it is proportional to the quantity of matter in the body.

2. The quantity of heaviness; comparative tendency to the center of the earth; the quantity of matter as estimated by the balance, or expressed numerically with reference to some standard unit; as, a mass of stone having the weight of five hundred pounds.

For sorrow, like a heavy-hanging bell, Once set on ringing, with his own weight goes. --Shak.

3. Hence, pressure; burden; as, the weight of care or business. "The weight of this said time." --Shak.

For the public all this weight he bears. --Milton.

[He] who singly bore the world's sad weight. --Keble.

4. Importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment; impressiveness; as, a consideration of vast weight.

In such a point of weight, so near mine honor. --Shak.

5. A scale, or graduated standard, of heaviness; a mode of estimating weight; as, avoirdupois weight; troy weight; apothecaries' weight.

6. A ponderous mass; something heavy; as, a clock weight; a paper weight.

A man leapeth better with weights in his hands. --Bacon.

7. A definite mass of iron, lead, brass, or other metal, to be used for ascertaining the weight of other bodies; as, an ounce weight.

8. (Mech.) The resistance against which a machine acts, as opposed to the power which moves it. [Obs.]

Atomic weight. (Chem.) See under Atomic, and cf. Element.

Dead weight, Feather weight, Heavy weight, Light weight, etc. See under Dead, Feather, etc.

Weight of observation (Astron. & Physics), a number expressing the most probable relative value of each observation in determining the result of a series of observations of the same kind.

Syn: Ponderousness; gravity; heaviness; pressure; burden; load; importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment; impressiveness.

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