Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A part or particle considered to be an irreducible constituent of a specified system.
- n. The irreducible, indestructible material unit postulated by ancient atomism.
- n. An extremely small part, quantity, or amount.
- n. Physics & Chemistry A unit of matter, the smallest unit of an element, having all the characteristics of that element and consisting of a dense, central, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a system of electrons. The entire structure has an approximate diameter of 10-8 centimeter and characteristically remains undivided in chemical reactions except for limited removal, transfer, or exchange of certain electrons.
- n. Physics & Chemistry This unit regarded as a source of nuclear energy. See Table at subatomic particle.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An extremely minute particle of matter: a term used generally with certain philosophic or scientific limitations. A hypothetical particle of matter so minute as to admit of no division; an ultimate indivisible particle of matter. See
atomic philosophy , under atomic. - n. A particle of matter assumed not to be divided under the circumstances considered; a molecule.
- n. In chem. and physics, the unit of matter; the smallest mass of an element that exists in any molecule. The number of kinds of atoms is the same as the number of the elements. All atoms of the same element have the same constant weight. They are for the most part combined with other atoms, either of the same or of a different kind, forming molecules, and are indivisible by chemical force. The atom is sometimes called the chemical unit, in distinction from the molecule or physical unit, the latter being the smallest particle of any kind of matter which can exhibit all the properties of that matter; but atom is also sometimes used as synonymous with molecule in this sense.
- n. Hence Anything extremely small; a minute quantity: as, he has not an atom of sense.
- n. The smallest division of time, equal to about ⅙ of a second.
- n. Anything indivisible; an individual. Synonyms Molecule, etc. See
particle . - To reduce to atoms; atomize.
Wiktionary
- n. The smallest, indivisible constituent part or unit of something.
- n. physics The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
- n. mathematics A non-zero member of a Boolean algebra that is not a union of any other elements.
- n. historical A theoretical particle of matter, imagined to be incapable of further division; the smallest possible unit of substance.
- n. obsolete The smallest medieval unit of time, equal to fifteen ninety-fourths of a second.
- n. computing, programming An individual number or symbol, as opposed to a list. A scalar value.
- n. A very small amount.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An ultimate indivisible particle of matter.
- n. An ultimate particle of matter not necessarily indivisible; a molecule.
- n. A constituent particle of matter, or a molecule supposed to be made up of subordinate particles.
- n. (Chem.) The smallest particle of matter that can enter into combination; one of the elementary constituents of a molecule.
- n. Anything extremely small; a particle; a whit.
- v. obsolete To reduce to atoms.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
- n. (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything
Etymologies
- From Old French atome, from Latin atomus ("smallest particle"), from Ancient Greek ἄτομος (atomos, "indivisible"), from ἀ- (a-, "not") + τέμνω (temnō, "I cut"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English attome, from Latin atomus, from Greek atomos, indivisible, atom : a-, not; see a-1 + tomos, cutting (from temnein, to cut. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“We now suppose that it is _a rapid movement of electrons from atom to atom_ in the wire or wherever the current is.”
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) A Plain Story Simply Told
“Coined in ancient Greece, the term atom means “indivisible unit,” and through the nineteenth century, scientists believed that our entire physical universe was composed of these elementary particles.”
“While the term atom, therefore, is applicable only to elements, the term molecule is applicable both to elements and compounds.”
“Thus the term atom indicates not only the constituents of molecules but has a quantitative meaning, the proportional part of the element which enters into compounds.”
“I do think that harnessing the power of the atom is the way to go.”
“The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing.”
“It was the ancient Greeks who gave us the idea of atoms, fundamental and invisibly small particles of matter, and also the word atom, which means “uncuttable,” “indivisible.””
Simon & Schuster: On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
“(For convenience, "atom" is included as a special case of molecule).”
“When the nucleus of an atom is split apart, a tremendous amount of energy is released.”
“A uranium atom is a very complicated mechanism, but does tend to break down on occasion* — but it's still a lot more reliable than any human device.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘atom’.
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SCIE - EU nomenclature
All the scientific words found in the official EU nomenclature. For the screening I used Vocabgrabber of the Visual Thesaurus.
abdominal, absorbent, accelerator, accumulator, acebutolol, acetamide, acetanilide, acetate, acetic acid, acetone, acetous, acetyl and 1171 more...
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G[r]eek
A collection of words found in English that are either purely Greek or have Greek etymology.
Please add with caution and certainty. Will be regularly updated by me.etymology, philosophy, laconic, disharmony, patriarchic, archaic, phlogiston, aether, aeon, angel, arachnid, rhythm and 346 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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SCIE - statistics
a priori probability, Abbe-Helmert crit..., absolute error, absolutely unbias..., accuracy, ACF, affinity, AIC, algorithm, allometry, alphabet, anomic and 4171 more...
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Realia from Everywhere
Culturally defined terms and expressions from the four corners of the world
fjord, mistral steppe, tornado, tsunami, polder, kiwi, koala, sequoia, Abominable Snowman, paprika, spaghetti, empanada and 299 more...
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Hence
Words with definitions that have a "hence" in them.
hanger, Deet, tripe, spindlelegs, fiddle, store, pluck, snap, villain, link, comedy, particular and 410 more...
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and ...
Words that, as I see it, have some fond connection to the Alice stories through their creation or particular use by Lewis Carroll. I mean to tie them all together with contexty comments!
alice, daisy-chain, white rabbit, waistcoat-pocket, rabbit-hole, marmalade, antipathy, antipode, curtsey, dinah, tea-time, rat-hole and 232 more...
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[Open] Quanta
Words that describe a smallest possible amount, trace, or degree; a fundamental unit; an irreducible constituent; a smallest, indivisible constituent part or unit; a least possible positive value; ...
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science (collective opinion)
random scientific terms from a group of one hundred 16-18 year olds to choose 100 words that, in their collective opinion, represent crucial factors and concepts influencing trends in science today...
symbiosis, stem cell, solution, research, reaction, pressure, relativity, particle, probability, wave, organism, pollution and 90 more...
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The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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If-Christ-Had-Not-Died-For-Thee-Thou-...
Words that have been used as baby names, including virtue names, nature names, place names, etc.
The title is an actual name given to a Puritan boy in the 17th century.faith, hope, grace, charity, chastity, prudence, patience, temperance, river, phoenix, stone, violet and 455 more...
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Words I like
This is a list of my favourite words (phrases) in english, as a second language. I love them mostly because of how they sound and their meaning.
ninja, cookie, skill, zip, plentiful, digg, debris, pancake, cucumber, fetch, pot, backpack and 461 more...
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whitmanian
from the poetry and prose of walt whitman
celebrate, assume, loafe, grass, summer, distillation, atmosphere, undisguised, naked, mad, breath, loveroot and 291 more...
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Particularly Interesting
Particles, particles, particles!
atom, molecule, neutron, proton, electron, quark, boson, fermion, antiquark, hadron, lepton, antilepton and 123 more...
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kant's Words
mandrágora, doppelganger, sinestesia, baladí, adriático, chanson, correveidile, angster, dèja vu, otredad, grasshopper, republic and 1074 more...
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Jigsaw Codex
List? What list?
This is the list that makes up the world.cat, boustrophedon, syndetic, life, imbroglio, interlude, composition, investigation, cantankerous, him, sign, universality and 189 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for atom.
reesetee I would never. Even though I like spotted owls. :-) Jul 10, 2007
slumry They still use axes to chop wood, of course. As for logging, I would assume there is still a minor role for the axe.
However, since *most* of the trees have been cut down, there is less need for logging equipment of any sort. It is a touchy subject in these parts. And don't say "spotted owl" to a logger unless you are prepared for unpleasantness! Jul 10, 2007
reesetee Thanks for the warning, slumry. Next time I go west, I'll remember that. Never cross a person wielding an axe....
Wait--I don't suppose they still use those, do they? Jul 10, 2007
slumry Scary thought--those pronky WMDs. Let's hope they are phantoms.;-) Jul 10, 2007
slumry Yes, I have always liked the word lumberjack, but they are a breed apart from loggers. You have to trust me on this one. ;-) Jul 10, 2007
uselessness I think that might be the problem!
WMDs pronk. Jul 10, 2007
reesetee Oh, but lumberjack sounds so pronky. Jul 10, 2007
slumry Indeed, you would not want to get crosswise with the man with the axe. And out west, that would mean calling him a logger rather than a lumberjack. It is a regional thing. They get testy about that. Jul 10, 2007
oroboros Well, it would seem that even a dull axe would at some point have a "leading" atom that would make it atom v. atom. Didn't Zeno of Elea say something about lumberjacks? Can't remember... Jul 10, 2007
reesetee That would have to be one incredibly sharp axe, with an edge you wouldn't even be able to see. Funny, I always thought about that too.
And you'd really, really want to be nice to the lumberjack. Jul 10, 2007
uselessness Incidentally, I who know very little about this stuff have always wondered if that could be theoretically possible -- if your axe was sharp enough and if you could hit the atom precisely. I don't suppose it is, but just IMAGINE what could happen if an innocent lumberjack inadvertently wielded the power of nuclear holocaust. ;-) Jul 10, 2007
slumry By the time I was 5 years old, my oldest brother had a degree in physics. My mother liked to make the joke that "I was taught in school that you could not split an atom; now my son does it." Hence, I always envisioned atoms to be something you could put on a chopping block and split with an axe. Jul 10, 2007