quantum

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quantum

/ˈkwɒntəm/ UK
/ˈkwɑntəm/ Atlantic Canada, US
[ˈkʰwɑ̃ntʰə̃m]
[ˈkʰwɑ̃ɾ̃ə̃m]
/ˈkwɒntəm/ Canada
/ˈkwɔntəm/ Australia
[ˈkwɔ̟ntəm] New Zealand

Where it comes from

From Late Latin quantum, noun use of neuter form of Latin quantus (“how much”).

noun quantums · quanta

South Asia, countable, uncountable The total amount of something; quantity. The reader will perhaps be curious to know the quantum of this present, but we cannot satisfy his curiosity.
South Asia, countable, uncountable The amount of compensation awarded to a successful party in a lawsuit.
South Asia, countable, uncountable The length or magnitude of the sentence handed down to someone who has been found guilty of a crime.
countable, uncountable The amount or quantity observably present, or available. Each man has only a quantum of compassion, he argued, and mine is used up for the day.
countable, uncountable The smallest possible, and therefore indivisible, unit of a given quantity or quantifiable phenomenon. The quantum of light energy was later called a photon.
countable, uncountable The amount of time allocated for a thread to perform its work in a multithreaded environment.
abbreviation, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of quantum computing Developing for quantum has never been more accessible.
countable, uncountable The minimum dose of a pathogen required to cause an infection.
countable, uncountable Amount of goods produced or demanded.
countable, uncountable A definite portion of a manifoldness, limited by a mark or by a boundary. Defined parts of a manifoldness are called Quanta

adjective

not comparable Of a change, sudden or discrete, without intermediate stages.
informal, not comparable Of a change, significant.
not comparable Involving quanta, quantum mechanics or other aspects of quantum physics. Some of the most beautiful and thus appealing physical theories, including quantum electrodynamics and quantum gravity, have been dogged for decades by infinities that erupt when theorists try to prod their calculations into new domains. Getting rid of these nagging infinities has probably occupied
Opposite: classical
not comparable Relating to a quantum computer.
Opposite: classical

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: quantity, amount, measure, quantal, chromodynamics, teleportation, volume, level, marker, number, quantitative, qualitative, surface, sum, dramatic, size

Translations

Every language

noun quantity

Español	cantidad, quantum, quántum
日本語	量 ryō
中文	量 liàng
Português	quantidade
Français	quantité
Deutsch	Quantum, Menge
Русский	коли́чество kolíčestvo
Tiếng Việt	số lượng, lượng, khối lượng
עברית	קְוַנְט

noun indivisible unit of a given quantity

Español	cuanto, quantum, quántum, quanto
한국어	양자 yangja
日本語	量子 ryōshi
中文	量子 liàngzǐ
Português	quantum
Français	quantum
Deutsch	Quant, Minimum
Ελληνικά	κβάντο kvánto
Русский	квант kvant
Tiếng Việt	lượng tử
العربية	كَمّ kamm
עברית	קְוַנְט

adj involving quanta

Español	cuántico, quántico
日本語	量子 ryōshi
中文	量子 liàngzǐ
Português	quântico
Français	quantique
Deutsch	Quanten-
Italiano	quantico, quantistico
Русский	ква́нтовый kvántovyj
Tiếng Việt	lượng tử

adj significant (of a change)

日本語	量子 ryōshi
中文	量子 liàngzǐ
Русский	значи́тельный značítelʹnyj, суще́ственный suščéstvennyj

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MLA

"quantum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/quantum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

quantum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/quantum

Chicago

"quantum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/quantum.

BibTeX

@misc{quantum_2026,
  title = {quantum},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/quantum},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}