hadron

[ had-ron ]

noun

, Physics.

1. any elementary particle that is subject to the strong interaction. Hadrons are subdivided into baryons and mesons.

hadron

/ ˈhædrɒn /

noun

1. any elementary particle capable of taking part in a strong nuclear interaction and therefore excluding leptons and photons

hadron

/ hăd′rŏn′ /

1. Any of a class of subatomic particles composed of a combination of two or more quarks or antiquarks. Quarks (and antiquarks) of different colors are held together in hadrons by the strong nuclear force. Hadrons include both baryons (composed of three quarks or three antiquarks) and mesons (composed of a quark and an antiquark). The combination of quark colors in a hadron must be neutral, for example, red and antired (as in a pion) or red, blue, and green (as in a proton).
2. Compare baryon

Derived Forms

• hadˈronic, adjective

Other Words From

• ha·dron·ic [ha-, dron, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hadron¹

1962; < Greek hadr ( ós ) thick, bulky + -on ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of hadron¹

C20: from Greek hadros heavy, from hadēn enough + -on

Example Sentences

In contrast, an electron-positron collision consumes the colliding particles’ full energy and produces no extraneous sprays, so physicists often use an e+e- collider to scrutinize the new particles discovered at a hadron collider.

From Science Magazine

So why do they need an even larger hadron collider?

From BBC

Although it’s relatively straightforward to compute the influence of virtual photons, muons are also affected by a class of particles called hadrons—clumps of quarks bound together by gluons.

From Scientific American

Lambda particles are baryons, which means they’re a type of hadron made of three quarks: one up quark, one down quark and one strange quark.

From Scientific American

Most exotic hadrons, which are subatomic particles, are made up of two or three elemental particles known as quarks.

From Seattle Times