Particle
'pɑːtɪkl
Definitions
2 meaningsA minute portion of matter; a small or tiny bit.
'pɑːtɪkl
A tiny, discrete piece of matter.
The scientist studied the properties of a single particle.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're looking at something under a super-strong magnifying glass. A particle is like one of the really, really, really small pieces you'd see, like a speck of dust or a tiny bit of something. Think of it like a LEGO brick, but super, super small!
👶 For kids: A tiny, tiny piece of something like a speck of dust.
More Examples
Dust particles filled the air after the explosion.
These tiny particles are what make up the atom.
How It's Used
"Scientists are studying the behavior of subatomic particles."
"Air pollution is often measured by the concentration of particulate matter."
A word that has little meaning or grammatical function of its own, but that serves to introduce, limit, or otherwise modify a word or clause.
'pɑːtɪkl
A word used to express a grammatical relationship.
The word 'to' in 'to run' is a particle.
💡 Simply: In language, it's a small word that links bigger words together to make sentences work, like the little helper pieces.
👶 For kids: A little word that helps other words go together to make sense, like 'to' or 'in'.
More Examples
Particles can indicate tense or mood.
The sentence's meaning is changed by the particle 'up'.
How It's Used
"In English, words like 'to' in 'to go' can be considered particles."
Idioms & expressions
quantum particle
A particle in quantum mechanics.
"Quantum particles exhibit wave-particle duality."
elementary particle
A particle not made of other particles.
"The search continues for new elementary particles."
From Middle English *particule*, from Old French *particule*, from Latin *particula* (“small part, particle”), diminutive of *pars* (“part”).
Used since the 14th century, originally referring to a small part of anything.
Memory tip
Think of a tiny grain of sand or dust.
Word Origin
"small part"