English Explanatory Dictionary

electron

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.
  2. Alloys of magnesium and other metals, like aluminum or zinc, that were manufactured by the German company Chemische Fabrik Griesheim-Elektron⁽ᵈᵉ⁾.

Pronunciation

/ɪˈlɛk.tɹɒn/ /ɪˈlɛk.tɹɑn/ en-us-electron.ogg

Word forms

electron electrons electrion

Etymology

Blend of electric + ion, coined by Anglo-Irish scientist George Stoney in 1891, changed by him multiple times from an earlier electrolion and original electrine (used as early as 1874) as the name for the electric charge associated with a univalent ion. Compare electro-, -on. The particle ("corpuscule") was discovered in 1896. The name electrion was proposed for the particle in 1906 but curtailed because Hendrik Lorentz preferred electron.

Synonyms

e negatron

Related words

electronic electronics proton p neutron n nucleon baryon

Derived words

antielectron Auger electron Auger electron spectroscopy coelectron cryoelectron cryo-electron microscopy cryo-transmission electron microscopy dielectron electride electrino electron affinity electronation electron avalanche electron beam electron capture electron capture detector electron carrier electron cloud electron configuration electron cryomicroscopy electron crystal electron density electron donor electron gap electron gun electron hole electronize electronlike electron micrograph electron microscope electron microscopy electron neutrino electron number electronogram electron pair electron paramagnetic resonance electron shell electron spin resonance electron transfer electron transfer reaction electron tube electron volt electron wave function free electron immunoelectron immunogold electron microscopy interelectron monochromated scanning transmission electron microscope multielectron photoelectron quasielectron scanning electron microscope scanning transmission electron microscope selectron surface-conduction electron-emitter display thermoelectron three-center two-electron bond transferred electron device transmission electron diffraction transmission electron microscope
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