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molecule

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mol⋅e⋅cule

  [mol-uh-kyool]
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–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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mol·e·cule   (mŏl'ĭ-kyōōl')   
n.  

  1. 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.

  2. 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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Cultural Dictionary

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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Word Origin & History

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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Medical Dictionary

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
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
molecule   (mŏl'ĭ-kyl')  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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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