atom
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atom¹
- /ˈætəm/
- [ˈæɾm̩] US
- [ˈæɾəm] US
Sounds like Adam (in dialects with flapping) · Rhymes with -ætəm
Where it comes from
From Middle English attome, from Middle French athome, from Latin atomus (“smallest particle”), from Ancient Greek ἄτομος (átomos, “indivisible”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”, o-grade in τομ-) + -ος (-os). Atoms are so named because they were historically thought up as to be the smallest unit of matter, and thus indivisible. Doublet of atomus.
noun atoms
- The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light
- A hypothetical particle posited by Greek philosophers as an ultimate and indivisible component of matter.
- The smallest, indivisible constituent part or unit of something. Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.
- In logical atomism, a fundamental fact that cannot be further broken down.
- The smallest medieval unit of time, equal to fifteen ninety-fourths of a second.
- A mote of dust in a sunbeam.
-
A very small amount; a whit.
"Doctor, tell me one word more," said Theodore, quivering with suppressed emotion. "How do you think it will end?" / "I have hardly the faintest atom of hope," answered this honest, earnest man.
Similar: particle, speck, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, continental, bit, crumb, glimpse
- An individual number or symbol, as opposed to a list; a scalar value.
- An integer representing a particular string.
-
A non-zero member of a partially ordered set that has only zero below it (assuming that the poset has a least element, its "zero").
In a Venn diagram, an atom is depicted as an area circumscribed by lines but not cut by any line.
Opposite: coatom
- An element of a set that is not itself a set; an urelement.
- An age group division in hockey for nine- to eleven-year-olds.
Atom²
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Manipuri ꯑꯇꯣꯝ (ʼatom).
proper noun
- A Meitei surname from Manipuri
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: mote, molecule, speck, particle, atomic, nuclear, supercell, scintilla, iota, splitting, monad, bit, smidgen, whit, modicum, corn
Translations
Every language
noun historical: theoretical particle of matter
| Español | átomo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 원자 wonja |
| 日本語 | 元素 genso |
| 中文 | 原子 yuánzǐ |
| हिन्दी | परमाणु parmāṇu |
| Português | átomo |
| Français | atome |
| Deutsch | Atom |
| Italiano | atomo |
| Ελληνικά | άτομο átomo |
| Русский | а́том átom |
| العربية | ذَرَّة ḏarra |
| עברית | אָטוֹם atom |
noun chemistry, physics: smallest possible amount of matter retaining its chemical properties
| Español | átomo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 원자 wonja, 아톰 atom |
| 日本語 | 原子 genshi, アトム atomu |
| 中文 | 原子 yuánzǐ |
| हिन्दी | परमाणु parmāṇu, अणु aṇu, एटम eṭam |
| Kiswahili | atomi |
| Português | átomo |
| Français | atome |
| Deutsch | Atom |
| Italiano | atomo |
| Ελληνικά | άτομο átomo |
| Română | atom |
| Русский | а́том átom |
| Tiếng Việt | nguyên tử |
| العربية | ذَرَّة ḏarra |
| עברית | אָטוֹם atóm |
noun mathematics: member of a Boolean algebra
| 日本語 | 原子 genshi |
|---|
Talk about this word "atom." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/atom. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. atom. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/atom "atom." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/atom.Cite this
@misc{atom_2026,
title = {atom},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/atom},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
