ion

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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 ⁼ .

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

Relevant Questions

What Are Negative Ions?

How Is An Ion Formed?

Why Do Ions Form?

What Are Negative Ions?

How Do Ions Form?

How Are Ions Formed?

Origin:
< Greek ión going, neuter present participle of iénai to go; term introduced by Michael Faraday in 1834

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

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.

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

00:10

Ion is always a great word to know.

So is net movement. Does it mean:

Some white blood cells, called macrophages and neutrophils, can very easily change their shape so that they flow around particles and completely enclose them within their cell, where they are broken up by cell enzymes. This is called phagocytosis.

movement measured by the force capacity on one side against the force capacity on the other

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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 especially past participles ( allusion; creation; fusion; notion; torsion ).

Also, -ation, -ition, -tion.

Compare -cion, -xion.

Origin:
< Latin -iōn- (stem of -iō) suffix forming nouns, especially on past participle stems; replacing Middle English -ioun < Anglo-French < Latin -iōn-

Ionic.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To ion

Collins

World English Dictionary

ion (ˈaɪən, -ɒn)

—n
	cation See also anion an electrically charged atom or group of atoms formed by the loss or gain of one or more electrons

[C19: from Greek, literally: going, from ienai to go]

-ion

—*suffix forming nouns*
	-ation Compare -tion indicating an action, process, or state: creation; objection

[from Latin -iōn-, -io]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

ion

1834, introduced by Eng. physicist and chemist Michael Faraday (suggested by the Rev. William Whewell, Eng. polymath), 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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

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.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

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.

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

ION
Institute of Nutrition

Ion.
Ionic