tachyon

[ tak-ee-on ]

nounPhysics.
  1. a hypothetical particle that travels faster than the speed of light.

Origin of tachyon

1
First recorded in 1967; tachy- + -on1

Words Nearby tachyon

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British Dictionary definitions for tachyon

tachyon

/ (ˈtækɪˌɒn) /


noun
  1. physics a hypothetical elementary particle capable of travelling faster than the velocity of light

Origin of tachyon

1
C20: from tachy- + -on

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tachyon

tachyon

[ tăkē-ŏn′ ]


  1. A hypothetical subatomic particle that travels faster than the speed of light. Although the principles of relativity forbid the acceleration of a particle past the speed of light, they do not prohibit the existence of particles that have always moved faster than that speed. No such particle has ever been detected.

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