ion definition | Dictionary.com

Nearby Entries

iolite

ion - 14 dictionary results

New Alpine Air Purifiers
Start at $330 / Free Shipping 5 Year Warranty / Limited Time Only

www.BetterLivingAlpineAir.com

i⋅on

[ahy-uh

n, ahy-on]

Use ion in a Sentence

–noun Physics, Chemistry.

an electrically charged atom or group of atoms formed by the loss or gain of one or more electrons, as a cation (positive ion), which is created by electron loss and is attracted to the cathode in electrolysis, or as an anion (negative ion), which is created by an electron gain and is attracted to the anode. The valence of an ion is equal to the number of electrons lost or gained and is indicated by a plus sign for cations and a minus sign for anions, thus: Na⁺, Cl−, Ca⁺⁺, S⁼.

2.	one of the electrically charged particles formed in a gas by electric discharge or the like.

Origin:
< Gk ión going, neut. prp. of iénai to go; term introduced by Michael Faraday in 1834

I⋅on

[ahy-on]

–noun

1.	Classical Mythology. the eponymous ancestor of the Ionians: a son of Apollo and Creusa who is abandoned by his mother but returns to become an attendant in Apollo's temple at Delphi.

2.	(italics) a drama on this subject (415? b.c.) by Euripides.

-ion

a suffix, appearing in words of Latin origin, denoting action or condition, used in Latin and in English to form nouns from stems of Latin adjectives (communion; union), verbs (legion; opinion), and esp. past participles (allusion; creation; fusion; notion; torsion).

Also, -ation, -ition, -tion.

Compare -cion, -xion.

Origin:
< L -iōn- (s. of -iō) suffix forming nouns, esp. on ptp. stems; r. ME -ioun < AF < L -iōn-

Ion.

Ionic.

-tion

a suffix occurring in words of Latin origin, used to form abstract nouns from verbs or stems not identical with verbs, whether as expressing action (revolution; commendation), or a state (contrition; starvation), or associated meanings (relation; temptation).

Also, -ation, -cion, -ion, -sion, -xion.

Origin:
< L -tiōn- (s. of -tiō), equiv. to -t(us) ptp. suffix + -iōn- -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To ion

i·on (ī'ŏn', ī'ən)

n. An atom or a group of atoms that has acquired a net electric charge by gaining or losing one or more electrons.

[Greek ion, something that goes, neuter present participle of ienai, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Ion

I"on\, n. [Gr. ?, neut, of ?, p. pr. of ? to go.] (Elec. Chem.) One of the elements which appear at the respective poles when a body is subjected to electro-chemical decomposition. Cf. Anion, Cation.

Ion

I"on\, n. 1. One of the electrified particles into which, according to the electrolytic dissociation theory, the molecules of electrolytes are divided by water and other solvents. An ion consists of one or more atoms and carries a unit charge of electricity, 3.4 x 10^-10 electrostatic units, or a multiple of this. Those which are positively electrified (hydrogen and the metals) are called cations; negative ions (hydroxyl and acidic atoms or groups) are called anions.

Note: Thus, hydrochloric acid (HCl) dissociates, in aqueous solution, into the hydrogen ion, H^+, and the chlorine ion, Cl^-; ferric nitrate, Fe(NO3)3, yields the ferric ion, Fe^+++, and nitrate ions, NO3^-, NO3^-, NO3^-. When a solution containing ions is made part of an electric circuit, the cations move toward the cathode, the anions toward the anode. This movement is called migration, and the velocity of it differs for different kinds of ions. If the electromotive force is sufficient, electrolysis ensues: cations give up their charge at the cathode and separate in metallic form or decompose water, forming hydrogen and alkali; similarly, at the anode the element of the anion separates, or the metal of the anode is dissolved, or decomposition occurs.

2. One of the small electrified particles into which the molecules of a gas are broken up under the action of the electric current, of ultraviolet and certain other rays, and of high temperatures. To the properties and behavior of ions the phenomena of the electric discharge through rarefied gases and many other important effects are ascribed. At low pressures the negative ions appear to be electrons; the positive ions, atoms minus an electron. At ordinary pressures each ion seems to include also a number of attached molecules. Ions may be formed in a gas in various ways.

ion [(eye-uhn, eye-on)]

An atom that has either lost or gained one or more electrons, so that it has an electrical charge. Ions can be either positively or negatively charged.

ion

1834, introduced by Eng. physicist and chemist Michael Faraday (suggested by William Whewell), coined from Gk. ion, neut. prp. of ienai "go," from PIE base *ei- "to go, to walk" (cf. Gk. eimi "I go;" L. ire "to go," iter "a way;" O.Ir. ethaim "I go;" Ir. bothar "a road" (from *bou-itro- "cows' way"), Gaulish eimu "we go," Goth. iddja "went," Skt. e'ti "goes," imas "we go," ayanam "a going, way;" Avestan ae'iti "goes;" O.Pers. aitiy "goes;" Lith. eiti "to go;" O.C.S. iti "go;" Bulgarian ida "I go;" Rus. idti "to go"). So called because ions move toward the electrode of opposite charge. Ionosphere coined 1926 by R.A. Watson-Watt.

Main Entry: ion
Pronunciation: 'I-&n, 'I-"än
Function: noun
1 : an atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electriccharge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons —see ANION, CATION
2 : a charged subatomic particle (as a free electron)

ion i·on (ī'ən, ī'ŏn')
n.
An atom or a group of atoms that has acquired a net electric charge by gaining or losing one or more electrons.

ion (ī'ən, ī'ŏn') Pronunciation Key
An atom or a group of atoms that has an electric charge. Positive ions, or cations, are formed by the loss of electrons; negative ions, or anions, are formed by the gain of electrons.

ION
Institute of Nutrition

Search another word or see ion on Thesaurus | Reference

New Alpine Air Purifiers
Start at $330 / Free Shipping 5 Year Warranty / Limited Time Only

www.BetterLivingAlpineAir.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Advertise with Us · Link to Us · NASCAR® · Contact Us