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Ait·ken nucleus | \ ˈāt-kən- 
\
\Definition of Aitken nucleus
meteorology
: a microscopic aerosol particle in the atmosphere that encourages condensation to gather into a droplet
Using air samples collected from a 65-foot tower in a eucalyptus forest in Portugal, the researchers found an abundance of tiny aerosols, known as Aitken nuclei, that could only have been produced locally.— Henry Fountain, New York Times, 3 Nov. 1998
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The first known use of Aitken nucleus was in 1906
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