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Definition of particle - 8 dictionary results

par⋅ti⋅cle

  [pahr-ti-kuhl]
Use particle in a Sentence
–noun
1. a minute portion, piece, fragment, or amount; a tiny or very small bit: a particle of dust; not a particle of supporting evidence.
2. Physics.
a. one of the extremely small constituents of matter, as an atom or nucleus.
b. an elementary particle, quark, or gluon.
c. a body in which the internal motion is negligible.
3. a clause or article, as of a document.
4. Grammar.
a. (in some languages) one of the major form classes, or parts of speech, consisting of words that are neither nouns nor verbs, or of all uninflected words, or the like.
b. such a word.
c. a small word of functional or relational use, as an article, preposition, or conjunction, whether of a separate form class or not.
5. Roman Catholic Church. a small piece of the Host given to each lay communicant in a Eucharistic service.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L particula. See part, -i-, -cle 1

Related forms:
par⋅ti⋅cled, adjective

Synonyms:
1. mite, whit, iota, jot, tittle, grain, speck.

elementary particle

 
–noun Physics.
any lepton, hadron, photon, or graviton, the particles once thought to be the indivisible components of all matter or radiation.
Also called fundamental particle, particle.

Origin:
1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To particle
par·ti·cle   (pär'tĭ-kəl)   
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 © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

particle 
1380, "small part or division of a whole," from L. particula "little bit or part," dim. of pars (gen. partis), see part (n.). In construction, particle board (1957) is so called because it is made from chips and shavings of wood.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: elementary particle
Function: noun
1 : any of the particles of which matter and energy are composed or which mediate the fundamental forces of nature;especially : one (as the photon or the electron) whose existence has not been attributed to the combination of other more fundamental entities
2 : one of thestructural units of mitochondrial cristae that are observable by the electron microscope usually as spheres or stalked spheres and are prob. the seat of fundamental energy-producing reactions

Main Entry: par·ti·cle
Pronunciation: 'pärt-i-k&l
Function: noun
1 : one of the minute subdivisions of matter (as an atom ormolecule); also : ELEMENTARY PARTICLE
2 : a minute quantity or fragment
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

elementary particle n.

  1. A knoblike body that appears on the luminal surfaces of mitochondrial cristae and is believed to be involved with the electron transport system.

  2. Any of the subatomic particles that compose matter and energy, especially one hypothesized or regarded as an irreducible constituent of matter. Also called fundamental particle.

particle par·ti·cle (pär'tĭ-kəl)
n.

  1. A very small piece or part.

  2. An elementary particle.

  3. A subatomic particle.

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