fermion

noun

fer·​mi·​on ˈfer-mē-ˌän How to pronounce fermion (audio)
ˈfər-
: a particle (such as an electron, proton, or neutron) whose spin quantum number is an odd multiple of ¹/₂ compare boson
fermionic adjective

Examples of fermion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There, the buses are fermions, and always arrive exactly on time. Daniel Holz, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2010 Many different materials display this strange metallic behavior, such as cuprates, organic molecular crystals, heavy fermion metals, and twisted bilayer graphene, among others. IEEE Spectrum, 4 Jan. 2024 Restricting one’s view to free fermions involves viewing quantum mechanics through yet another mathematical lens. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2023 But when swap gates are used, the simulated fermions interact, crashing together and doing other complicated things. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2023 Supersymmetry hypothesizes an as-yet-undiscovered boson partner for every fermion, and a fermion partner for each boson. Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 10 May 2023 If a fermion orbits another fermion, its quantum state remains unchanged. Stephen Ornes, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2020 Familiar constituents of matter like electrons and quarks fall into the group known as fermions; while those that carry fundamental forces like photons, the particles of light that convey the force of electromagnetism, are known as bosons. Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 10 May 2023 This idea bridges two categories of particles—bosons, which can be packed together in large numbers, and fermions, which are antisocial and will share space only with particles of opposite spin. Marcela Carena, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fermion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Enrico Fermi + English -on entry 2

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fermion was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near fermion

Cite this Entry

“Fermion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fermion. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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