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fundamental particle

fundamental particle

1 6.8
A very small part of matter not made of smaller parts like an electron or quark
  • noun
  • /ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl ˈpɑrtɪkl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : partícula fundamental
  • While electrons are fundamental particles, neutrons and protons are not.

So this is actually all of the fundamental particles.

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Examples

  • By "physical constants" we mean the relative strengths of the various forces, the values of quantities such as the speed of light, and the masses of fundamental particles such as electrons and neutrinos.

    Academic text (2002)
  • I mean, take fundamental particles, for example, like electrons or quarks.

  • Why do the fundamental particles have the masses that they do?

    Blog text (33)
  • The Higgs field gives some fundamental particles mass, but not all.

    Blog text (8)
  • So this is a sort of periodic table of fundamental particles, the smallest particles we know.

  • Indeed, much of the framework of modern physics is built around the concept that all the fundamental particles and forces came into being in the first few seconds after the Big Bang.

    Academic text (1992)
  • It provides the basis for the other physical sciences and biology because everything in our world, including ourselves, is made of the same fundamental particles, whose interactions are governed by the same fundamental forces.

    Academic text (2006)
  • It was the experimental work of Robert Millikan at the University of Chicago, beginning in 1909, that provided the next step in establishing the electron as a fundamental particle.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In 1913, not long after Millikan's oil-drop results, Niels Bohr was constructing a theory whose confirmation would provide support for the view that the electron was both a fundamental particle and a constituent of atoms.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Quarks and leptons are the two main types of fundamental particles in the universe.

Synonyms

elementary particle
vsfundamental particle
  • Specialized
3 6.5

A very small part of matter that you cannot break into smaller pieces, like an electron or quark

emphasizes that it is not known to have smaller internal parts

How Fundamental

fundamental particle
  • Specialized
1 6.8
elementary particle
  • Specialized
3 6.5
subatomic particle
  • Specialized
12 5.1
composite
17 5.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

fundamental + particle

The phrase is fully compositional: 'fundamental' (essential, basic) modifies 'particle' (a tiny physical bit), so the meaning 'a basic or elementary small unit of matter' can be directly inferred from its parts. This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English composition, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Fundamental particle comes from the idea of fundamental meaning 'basic' and particle meaning a very small piece. Think of a tiny piece you cannot break into smaller parts; that's why the phrase means 'a basic building block' of matter.