particle
n.-
1 a tiny piece (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea very small piece of something, such as dust, dirt, or sand.
a minute fragment or quantity of matter.
ExampleA tiny particle of dust got into my eye and made it water.
ExampleThe air filtration system was designed to capture even the smallest particles of soot produced by the nearby factory.
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2 physics (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Scienceone of the tiny parts that make up an atom, like an electron.
any of the subatomic constituents of matter or energy, such as protons, neutrons, or photons.
ExampleScientists use huge machines to study how particles move and crash into each other.
ExampleThe experiment aimed to observe the decay of the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle that explains why other particles have mass.
- subatomic particle
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3 grammar (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Sciencea small word that does not change its form and helps other words, like 'to' in 'to go' or 'up' in 'look up'.
a function word that does not belong to a major inflected grammatical class and lacks a distinct lexical meaning of its own.
ExampleIn the phrasal verb 'give up', the word 'up' is a particle.
ExampleThe teacher explained that the infinitive particle 'to' is grammatically distinct from the preposition 'to' used for direction.
UsageIn English, this term often refers to the 'to' in infinitives or the adverbial elements of phrasal verbs.
- function word
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4 a small amount (n.) C2 Proficiency Literary Formala very small amount of a quality or feeling.
the smallest possible amount or trace of an abstract quality.
ExampleThere was not a particle of truth in the rumors about the scandal.
ExampleHe spoke with such absolute conviction that not a single particle of doubt remained in the minds of the jury.
From Middle French particule, and its source, Latin particula (“small part, particle”), diminutive of pars (“part, piece”).