Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
antineutron

antineutron

1 9.8
A particle like a neutron but made of antimatter
  • noun
  • /ˌæntiˈnjuːtrɒn/
  • Specialized
: antineutrón
  • Scientists study the properties of the antineutron to understand more about antimatter.

Examples

  • COMPUTER 1: Adjust the sine wave of this magnetic envelope so that antineutrons can pass through but the antigravitons cannot.

    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

  • The antineutron, along with the antiproton, was discovered in the same year.

  • The antineutron has a mass equivalent to that of a neutron but possesses opposite baryon characteristics.

Surface Forms

antineutron singular
antineutrons plural

Morphology

antineutron = neutron (transparent) = anti + neutron

The meaning is directly built from the prefix 'anti-' plus 'neutron', referring to the corresponding antiparticle.

Etymology

Antineutron is made of the prefix anti- meaning 'opposite' and neutron, a word that comes from 'neutral' or 'neither'. The prefix anti- appears in words like antibiotic and antibody, where it also means 'against' or 'opposite'. So an antineutron is the particle that is the 'opposite' of a neutron, having the same mass but opposite properties.