molecule

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mol⋅e⋅cule

[mol-uh-kyool]

–noun

1.	Chemistry, Physics. the smallest physical unit of an element or compound, consisting of one or more like atoms in an element and two or more different atoms in a compound.

2.	Chemistry. a quantity of a substance, the weight of which, measured in any chosen unit, is numerically equal to the molecular weight; gram molecule.

3.	any very small particle.

Origin:
1785–95; earlier molecula < NL, equiv. to L mōlē(s) mass + -cula -cule ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To molecule

mol·e·cule (mŏl'ĭ-kyōōl')

The smallest particle of a substance that retains the chemical and physical properties of the substance and is composed of two or more atoms; a group of like or different atoms held together by chemical forces.
A small particle; a tiny bit.

[French molécule, from New Latin mōlēcula, diminutive of Latin mōlēs, mass.]

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

Mol"e*cule\, n. [Dim. fr. L. moles a mass: cf. F. mol['e]cule. See 3d Mole.]

1. One of the very small invisible particles of which all matter is supposed to consist.

2. (Physics) The smallest part of any substance which possesses the characteristic properties and qualities of that substance, and which can exist alone in a free state.

3. (Chem.) A group of atoms so united and combined by chemical affinity that they form a complete, integrated whole, being the smallest portion of any particular compound that can exist in a free state; as, a molecule of water consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Cf. Atom.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : molecule

Spanish: molécula,

German: das Molekül,

Japanese: 分子

More Translations »

molecule [(mol-uh-kyoohl)]

A combination of two or more atoms held together by a force between them. (See covalent bond and ionic bond.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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molecule

1794, "extremely minute particle," from Fr. moléclue (1678), from Mod.L. molecula, dim. of L. moles "mass, barrier" (see mole (3)). A vague meaning at first; the vogue for the word (used until late 18c. only in Latin form) can be traced to the philosophy of Descartes. First used in modern scientific sense by Amedeo Avogadro (1811). Molecular biology first attested 1950.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: mol·e·cule
Pronunciation: 'mäl-i-"kyü(&)l
Function: noun
: the smallest particle of a substance that retains all theproperties of the substance and is composed of one or more atoms

molecule mol·e·cule (mŏl'ĭ-ky&oomacr;l')
n.
The smallest particle into which an element or a compound can be divided without changing its chemical and physical properties; a group of atoms that is held together chemically.

molecule (mŏl'ĭ-ky

l') Pronunciation Key
A group of two or more atoms linked together by sharing electrons in a chemical bond. Molecules are the fundamental components of chemical compounds and are the smallest part of a compound that can participate in a chemical reaction.

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