subnuclear particle

[ suhb-noo-klee-er, -nyoo-or, by metathesis, -kyuh-ler ]

noun

, Physics.

1. any of the elementary particles, including those that do not exist in stable matter but appear as a result of high-energy collisions of other particles or nuclei.

Pronunciation Note

See nuclear.

Word History and Origins

Origin of subnuclear particle¹

First recorded in 1960–65; sub- + nuclear