Main Entry: quark

Pronunciation: \ˈkwȯrk, ˈkwärk\

Function: noun

Etymology: coined by Murray Gell-Mann

Date: 1964

: any of several elementary particles that are postulated to come in pairs (as in the up and down varieties) of similar mass with one member having a charge of +²⁄₃ and the other a charge of −¹⁄₃ and are held to make up hadrons