particle

English Online Dictionary. What means particle‎? What does particle mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle French particule, and its source, Latin particula (“small part, particle”), diminutive of pars (“part, piece”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑːtɪk(ə)l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑɹtɪkəl/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)tɪkəl

Noun

particle (plural particles)

1. A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something. [from 14th c.]

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:piece

2. (physics) Any of various physical objects making up the constituent parts of an atom; an elementary particle or subatomic particle. [from 19th c.]
3. (linguistics) A part of speech that has no inherent lexical definition but must be associated with another word to impart meaning, often a grammatical category: for example, the English word to in a full infinitive phrase (to eat) or O in a vocative phrase (O Canada), or as a discourse marker (mmm).

   Synonym: p-word
4. (linguistics) A part of speech which cannot be inflected.
   • 1844, E. A. Andrews: First Lessions in Latin; or Introduction to Andrews and Stoddard's Latin Grammar. (6th edition, Boston), p.91 (at books.google)

     322. The parts of speech which are neither declined nor conjugated, are called by the general name of particles. 323. They are adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

   • 1894 (2008), B. L. Gildersleeve & G. Lodge: Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar (reprint of the 3rd edition by Dover, 2008), p.9. (at books.google)

     The Parts of Speech are the Noun (Substantive and Adjective), the Pronoun, the Verb, and the Particles (Adverb, Preposition, and Conjunction)[.]

5. (Christianity) In the Roman Catholic church, a crumb of consecrated bread; also the smaller breads used in the communion of the laity.
6. A little bit.

   Synonyms: atom, molecule; see also Thesaurus:modicum

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

• particle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• crepital, preictal, prelatic