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particle's
2 dictionary results for: particle's
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
par·ti·cle     (pär'tĭ-kəl)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A very small piece or part; a tiny portion or speck.
  2. A very small or the smallest possible amount, trace, or degree: not a particle of doubt.
  3. Physics
    1. A body whose spatial extent and internal motion and structure, if any, are irrelevant in a specific problem.
    2. An elementary particle.
    3. A subatomic particle. See Table at subatomic particle.
    4. An uninflected item that has grammatical function but does not clearly belong to one of the major parts of speech, such as up in He looked up the word or to in English infinitives.
    5. In some systems of grammatical analysis, any of various short function words, including articles, prepositions, and conjunctions.
    6. A small piece of a consecrated host.
    7. One of the smaller, individual hosts.
  4. Linguistics
    1. An uninflected item that has grammatical function but does not clearly belong to one of the major parts of speech, such as up in He looked up the word or to in English infinitives.
    2. In some systems of grammatical analysis, any of various short function words, including articles, prepositions, and conjunctions.
    3. A small piece of a consecrated host.
    4. One of the smaller, individual hosts.
  5. Roman Catholic Church
    1. A small piece of a consecrated host.
    2. One of the smaller, individual hosts.
  6. Archaic A small division or section of something written, such as a clause of a document.

[Middle English, from Latin particula, diminutive of pars, part-, part; see part.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
particle   (pär'tĭ-kəl)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A very small piece of solid matter.
  2. An elementary particle, subatomic particle, or atomic nucleus. Also called corpuscle.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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