CERN

American  

1. European Laboratory for Particle Physics; formerly called European Organization for Nuclear Research: an international research organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.

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CERN British  

/ sɜːn /

acronym

1. Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire; an organization of European states with a centre in Geneva for research in high-energy particle physics, now called the European Laboratory for Particle Physics

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CERN Cultural  

1. An acronym for French words meaning European Center for Nuclear Research. Supported by a consortium of European countries, CERN is an advanced scientific research institute in Geneva, Switzerland. It is one of the premier locations for particle physics research.

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Discover More

After the year 2007, CERN will be the location of the world's largest particle accelerator.

Etymology

Origin of CERN

< French, for C ( onseil ) e ( uropéen pour la ) r ( echerche ) n ( ucléaire )

Example Sentences

The British physicist-turned-computer scientist conceived the web in 1989 while working at CERN, the European particle physics lab in Switzerland.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Proton VPN was founded by scientists and engineers who worked at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

He added that the UK was and would continue to be the second biggest funder of particle physics experiments at CERN.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Israel is the only non-European full member of CERN, which was established in 1954.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2024

Even now CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, uses Nagaoka’s image as a logo on its website.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson