newton
n. countablen. the standard unit used to measure force. You use it to describe how much push or pull is applied to an object.
n. the SI unit of force, equivalent to the force that provides a mass of one kilogram with an acceleration of one metre per second squared.
The force of gravity on a small apple is about one newton.
Engineers must calculate the exact number of newtons required to move the heavy steel beam safely.
In classical mechanics, the relationship between mass and acceleration is quantified using the newton as the standard derived unit of force within the International System of Units.
Inherited from Middle English Neweton, from Old English nēowa tūn (“new town”). Compare same construction in Italian Napoli (“Naples”) and in Arabic نَابُلُس (nābulus, “Nablus”). The unexpected Early Modern pronunciation with /ɛʊ̯/, as securely attested in Richard Hodges' 1644 English Primrose and confirmed by obsolete Welsh Newtwnn, is due to trisyllabic shortening in Old English nēowa tūn or Middle English Neweton.
When used as a unit of measurement, the word is not capitalized, though its symbol (N) is.