lepton
1
[ lep-ton ]
/ ˈlɛp tɒn /
noun, plural lep·ta [lep-tuh] /ˈlɛp tə/.
an aluminum coin of modern Greece until the euro was adopted, the 100th part of a drachma.
a small copper or bronze coin of ancient Greece.
Origin of lepton
1Words nearby lepton
Definition for lepton (2 of 2)
lepton
2
[ lep-ton ]
/ ˈlɛp tɒn /
noun Physics.
any of a class of particles with spin of ½ that are not subject to the strong force and that are believed to be truly elementary and not composed of quarks or other subunits. The leptons known or believed to exist are the electron and electron-neutrino, the muon and mu-neutrino, and the tau lepton and tau-neutrino.
Compare
conservation of lepton number.
OTHER WORDS FROM lepton
lep·ton·ic, adjectiveExample sentences from the Web for lepton
Lepton, lep′ton, n. the smallest of modern Greek coins, 100 to the drachma.
A lepton is a very small brass Jewish coin worth half a Roman quadrans each, which is worth a quarter of the copper assarion.
The game was thus played in 1810, and is so still, both here and at Lepton.
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol I of II) |Alice Bertha Gomme
British Dictionary definitions for lepton (1 of 2)
lepton
1
/ (ˈlɛptɒn) /
noun plural -ta (-tə)
a former Greek monetary unit worth one hundredth of a drachma
a small coin of ancient Greece
Word Origin for lepton
from Greek
lepton (
nomisma) small (coin)
British Dictionary definitions for lepton (2 of 2)
lepton
2
/ (ˈlɛptɒn) /
noun
physics
any of a group of elementary particles and their antiparticles, such as an electron, muon, or neutrino, that participate in electromagnetic and weak interactions and have a half-integral spin
Derived forms of lepton
leptonic, adjectiveWord Origin for lepton
C20: from
lepto- +
-on
Medical definitions for lepton
lepton
[ lĕp′tŏn′ ]
n.
Any of a family of elementary particles that participate in the weak interaction, including the electron and its associated neutrino.
Scientific definitions for lepton
lepton
[ lĕp′tŏn′ ]
Any of a family of elementary particles that interact through the weak force and do not participate in the strong force. Leptons include electrons, muons, tau particles, and their respective neutrinos, the electron neutrino, the muon neutrino, and the tau neutrino. The antiparticles of these six particles are also leptons. Compare hadron. See Note at elementary particle. See Table at subatomic particle.
Cultural definitions for lepton
lepton
[ (lep-ton) ]
Any one of six elementary particles that are one of the fundamental constituents of matter. Leptons are not affected by the strong force and are not normally found in the nucleus of the atom. The electron and the neutrino are examples of leptons.