Advertisement
Advertisement
ion
1[ ahy-uhn, ahy-on ]
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.
Ion
2[ ahy-on ]
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.
-ion
3- 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 ).
Ion.
4abbreviation for
- Ionic.
ion
/ ī′ən,ī′ŏn′ /
- 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.
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of ion1
< Greek ión going, neuter present participle of iénai to go; term introduced by Michael Faraday in 1834
Origin of ion2
< Latin -iōn- (stem of -iō ) suffix forming nouns, especially on past participle stems; replacing Middle English -ioun < Anglo-French < Latin -iōn-
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of ion1
C19: from Greek, literally: going, from ienai to go
Origin of ion2
from Latin -iōn- , -io
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse