particle

noun par·ti·cle \ ˈpär-ti-kəl \

Definition of particle

1 a :a minute quantity or fragment

b :a relatively small or the smallest discrete portion or amount of something

2 archaic :a clause or article of a composition or document

3 :any of the basic units of matter and energy (such as a molecule, atom, proton, electron, or photon)

4 :a unit of speech expressing some general aspect of meaning or some connective or limiting relation and including the articles, most prepositions and conjunctions, and some interjections and adverbs

the particle up has a perfective meaning in phrases such as beat up and cut up

5 :a small eucharistic wafer distributed to a Roman Catholic layman at Communion

See particle defined for English-language learners

See particle defined for kids

Examples of particle in a Sentence

There is not a particle of evidence to support their claim.
There is not a particle of truth in what he said.
The phrasal verb “look up” consists of the verb “look” and the adverbial particle “up.”

Recent Examples of particle from the Web

The particle hunter, called ICARUS, is the size of two semitrailers, port officials said.

— karen caffarini, Post-Tribune, "Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor sees ship traffic increase in 2017," 3 Aug. 2017
Imagine a surface that cleans itself, flinging away any dirt particles that land on it.

— kenneth chang, New York Times, "Fungi Physics: How Those Spores Launch Just Right," 27 July 2017
Prion is short for proteinacious infectious particle, a pathogen that causes neurodegenerative disease in mammals.

— dennis pillion, AL.com, "What is 'atypical' mad cow? Alabama's bovine spongiform encephalopathy case explained," 19 July 2017
On July 23rd 2012 particles from a much larger solar ejection blew across the orbital path of Earth, missing it by days.

— The Economist, "The disaster that could follow from a flash in the sky," 13 July 2017
Now, a Chinese team has broken the distance record by teleporting particles to a satellite in space.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Chinese Scientists Successfully Teleported a Particle to Space," 12 July 2017
Standing near large grinders that tower over employees, Heiss explains that gypsum is ground into finer particles as part of the production process.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Dental products firm expands facility in Alsip," 10 July 2017
A fusion of sibling dynamics and particle physics, the play is directed by National Theatre chief Rufus Norris and stars Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams.

— sam marlowe, chicagotribune.com, "'Ferryman' to Conor McPherson, come see London theater has an edge this summer," 6 July 2017
Take these sentences, for instance: God suffused everything in our lives the way heat suffuses every particle of air in the summer.

— emily perper, Longreads, "Looking Back at Pride Month," 2 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'particle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of particle

Middle English, from Latin particula, from diminutive of part-, pars

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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particle Synonyms

PARTICLE Defined for English Language Learners

particle

noun

Definition of particle for English Language Learners

: a very small piece of something
: a very small amount of something
physics : any one of the very small parts of matter (such as a molecule, atom, or electron)

PARTICLE Defined for Kids

particle

noun par·ti·cle \ ˈpär-ti-kəl \

Definition of particle for Students

:a very small bit or amount of something

a particle of sand

a particle of sense

Word Root of particle

The Latin word pars, meaning “part,” and its form partis give us the root part. Words from the Latin pars have something to do with a part, section, or portion. To participate is to take part in some activity. Anything partial involves only part of something. A particle is a tiny bit or portion of something. It is easy to see that part itself also comes directly from pars in both form and meaning.