atom
Physics.
the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element, consisting of a nucleus containing combinations of neutrons and protons and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus by electrical attraction; the number of protons determines the identity of the element.
an atom with one of the electrons replaced by some other particle: muonic atom;kaonic atom.
Energy. this component as the source of nuclear energy.
a hypothetical particle of matter so minute as to admit of no division.
anything extremely small; a minute quantity.
Origin of atom
1Other words for atom
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use atom in a sentence
From that, they extracted the ratio of the number of deuterium atoms to the number of hydrogen atoms.
They found that there are roughly 1,900 hydrogen atoms for each deuterium atom in the water on Comet 67P.
Most of the atoms in a newborn star system are hydrogen, which is the lightest chemical element.
The gravity is enough to squeeze atoms until electrons combine with protons to make neutrons.
IBM scientists used thousands of atoms to create “A Boy and His atom,” a film with 242 frames of stop-motion action.
Bang went the fragile bulb, as it splintered into a thousand atoms, and the mercury shot in sparkling globules over the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsWe were mere atoms in a vast wave of horn and bone and flesh that bore us onward as the tide floats driftwood.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThis letter she tore into atoms; she glanced over the others to find Ralph Townes name; not once did she find it.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. DrinkwaterIn descending it is recondensed, and by the process by which its atoms are brought together its latent heat is made sensible.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerThe wave—a billow broken to atoms, yet still retaining all its weight and motive force—overwhelmed the boat and passed on.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne
British Dictionary definitions for atom
/ (ˈætəm) /
the smallest quantity of an element that can take part in a chemical reaction
this entity as a source of nuclear energy: the power of the atom See also atomic structure
any entity regarded as the indivisible building block of a theory
the hypothetical indivisible particle of matter postulated by certain ancient philosophers as the fundamental constituent of matter: See also atomism
a very small amount or quantity; minute fragment: to smash something to atoms; there is not an atom of truth in his allegations
Origin of atom
1Collins 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 atom
[ ăt′əm ]
The smallest unit of an element, consisting of at least one proton and (for all elements except hydrogen) one or more neutrons in a dense central nucleus, surrounded by one or more shells of electrons. In electrically neutral atoms, the number of protons equals the number of electrons. Atoms remain intact in chemical reactions except for the removal, transfer, or exchange of certain electrons. Compare compound. See also ion isotope orbital.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for atom
Notes for atom
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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