particles
Dust in light
Particles are tiny pieces or fragments of matter—specks of dust, grains of sand, droplets in a mist.
In physics, particles are the fundamental units of matter and energy: subatomic particles like electrons and quarks.
In grammar, particles are small function words that don't fit neatly into major categories—words like *to* in infinitives or *up* in phrasal verbs like look up.
Fundamental matter particle
- electronNegative subatomic particle
- protonPositive nuclear particle
- neutronUncharged nuclear particle
- gluonStrong force mediator
boson · fermion · lepton · hadron · meson · baryon · neutrino · muon
Twofold nature
- superpositionCoexisting in multiple states
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- wavefunctionQuantum state's mathematical representation
- interferenceUnwelcome involvement in affairs
decoherence · probability · uncertainty · spin · photon · Copenhagen · observer · measurement
Minute visible particle
- moteTiny airborne particle
- grainCereal plant's harvest unit
- fleckMinute spot or particle
- bitSmall amount or portion
soot · grit · dander · lint · debris · sediment · ash · detritus
Element's smallest unit
- moleculeBonded atomic group
- ionCharged atom or molecule
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
- colloidStable dispersed mixture
emulsion · aerosol · droplet · granule · precipitate · solute · dispersion · Brownian
Minute visible particle
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
- iotaMinuscule quantity
- whitMinimal conceivable quantity
- shredTorn fragment
scrap · fragment · sliver · crumb · fleck · smidgen · modicum · bit
Cereal plant's harvest unit
- sporeAsexual reproductive cell
- allergenImmune response trigger
- airborneTraveling through air
- hayfeverAllergic reaction to pollen
allergy · pollination · anther · stamen · dispersal · wind-borne · seasonal · count
Written piece or grammatical word
- prepositionRelational grammar term
- conjunctionWord joining clauses together
- cliticAttached function word
- affixWord-part modifier
morpheme · postposition · enclitic · uninflected · syntactic · connective
quark
Fundamental matter particle
gluon · boson · fermion · lepton · hadron · meson · baryon · neutrino · muon · tau
duality
Twofold nature
- superpositionCoexisting in multiple states
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- wavefunctionQuantum state's mathematical representation
interference · decoherence · probability · uncertainty · spin · photon · Copenhagen · observer · measurement · Planck
speck
Minute visible particle
bit · soot · grit · dander · lint · debris · sediment · ash · detritus · fuzz
atom
Element's smallest unit
- moleculeBonded atomic group
- ionCharged atom or molecule
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
colloid · emulsion · aerosol · droplet · granule · precipitate · solute · dispersion · Brownian · microparticle
speck
Minute visible particle
shred · scrap · fragment · sliver · crumb · fleck · smidgen · modicum · bit · mote
grain
Cereal plant's harvest unit
hayfever · allergy · pollination · anther · stamen · dispersal · wind-borne · seasonal · count · forecast
article
Written piece or grammatical word
- prepositionRelational grammar term
- conjunctionWord joining clauses together
- cliticAttached function word
affix · morpheme · postposition · enclitic · uninflected · syntactic · connective
- physicsphysics, momentum, atom, acceleration, gravity
- chemistryatom, atoms, organic chemistry, molecule, chemistry
- Mandarinpinyin, tones, Hanzi, traditional characters, neutral tone
- metaphysicsessence, being, reality, existence, substance theory
- Sanskrit grammarPanini, nominative, accusative, sutra, dative
- theoretical physicsquantum mechanics, relativity, general relativity, special relativity, thermodynamics
particleswaves
Traveling energy disturbances
wave · fields · radiation · electromagnetic waves · oscillations
particleswholes
Complete unified amounts
whole · totalities · entireties · aggregates · masses
- particle boardEngineered wood from compressed chips
- subatomic particlesComponents smaller than atoms
- viral particlesComplete infectious agents
- dust particlesFine airborne matter
- beta particleEmitted electron or positron
- particle physicsStudy of subatomic constituents
particle, nanoparticle, antiparticle, particle physics, nanoparticles, particleboard, particle accelerator, antiparticles, microparticles