Atom
/ˈætəm/
nounIntermediate🔥Very CommonScience
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist and retain its chemical properties.
/ˈætəm/
nounneutralIntermediate
Science
The smallest unit of a chemical element
An atom consists of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
💡 Simply: The tiny bits that everything is made of.
More Examples
2
The atom is the fundamental unit of matter.
How It's Used
Science
"Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter."
Chemistry
"We studied the structure of the hydrogen atom."
From Middle French atome, from Latin atomus, from Ancient Greek ἄτομος (átomos, "indivisible"), from a- ("not") + τέμνω (témnō, "I cut").
The concept of the atom has evolved significantly over time, from Democritus's philosophical idea to the modern scientific understanding.
Memory tip
Think 'a-tom' – it's indivisible, like 'a' not 'tom'
Word Origin
LanguageAncient Greek
Original meaning
"indivisible"
atom bombatomic structure
Common misspellings
attomatomm
Practice
Usage
70%Spoken
30%Written