meson

noun

me·​son ˈme-ˌzän How to pronounce meson (audio)
ˈme-ˌsän,
ˈmā-ˌzän,
ˈmā-ˌsän How to pronounce meson (audio) ˈmē-ˌzän How to pronounce meson (audio) ˈmē-ˌsän How to pronounce meson (audio)
: any of a group of fundamental particles (such as the pion and kaon) made up of a quark and an antiquark that are subject to the strong force and have zero or an integer number of quantum units of spin
mesonic
me-ˈzä-nik How to pronounce meson (audio)
me-ˈsä-
mā-ˈzä-
mā-ˈsä- How to pronounce meson (audio)
mē-ˈzä-
mē-ˈsä- How to pronounce meson (audio)
adjective

Examples of meson in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Any leakage is carried by the color-neutral pion and kindred mesons. Aaron Shattuck, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024 The residual strong force that these mesons mediate is also hugely important. Aaron Shattuck, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024 One of these bizarre particles, called the phi meson, sits at the heart of these latest befuddling results. Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 2 Feb. 2023 Two of the products of that decay are an electron and a positron, which can be picked up by detectors, allowing the production of the J/ψ mesons to be registered. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 3 Apr. 2023 See all Example Sentences for meson 

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary mes- + -on entry 2

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of meson was in 1939

Dictionary Entries Near meson

Cite this Entry

“Meson.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meson. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

meson

noun
: any of a group of elementary particles that act strongly on one another and are among the products of nuclear collisions

Medical Definition

meson

noun
me·​son ˈmez-ˌän How to pronounce meson (audio) ˈmēz- How to pronounce meson (audio)
ˈmēs-,
ˈmes-
: any of a group of unstable elementary particles that are subject to nuclear forces and have masses much greater than that of the electron
mesonic adjective

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