meson

American  

[mee-zon, ‑son, mez-on, mes‑] / ˈmi zɒn, ‑sɒn, ˈmɛz ɒn, ˈmɛs‑ /

noun

1. Physics. any hadron, or strongly interacting particle, other than a baryon. Mesons are bosons, having spins of 0, 1, 2, …, and, unlike baryons, do not obey a conservation law.

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meson British  

/ ˈmiːzɒn /

noun

1. Former name: mesotron.  any of a group of elementary particles, such as a pion or kaon, that usually has a rest mass between those of an electron and a proton, and an integral spin. They are responsible for the force between nucleons in the atomic nucleus See also muon

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meson Scientific  

/ mĕz′ŏn′,mĕs′-,mē′zŏn′,-sŏn′ /

1. Any of a family of subatomic particles that are composed of a quark and an antiquark. Their masses are generally intermediate between leptons and baryons, and they can have positive, negative, or neutral charge. Mesons form a subclass of hadrons and include the kaon, pion and J/psi particles. Mesons were originally believed to be the particles that mediated the strong nuclear force, but it has since been shown that the gluon mediates this force.

2. See Table at subatomic particle

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meson Cultural  

1. An elementary particle in the atomic nucleus.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mesonic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of meson

1935–40; mes- + -on ¹ ( def. ); cf. mesotron

Example Sentences

Vegadelphia sells plant-based beef and chicken through distributors on the East Coast and in El Meson Sandwiches restaurants in Puerto Rico and Florida.

From Reuters • Apr. 29, 2022

Travelers seeking a beach escape should head to the new Meson Nadi hotel on the edge of Costa Esmeralda: a contemporary, Bauhaus-inspired, six-suite boutique with concrete tiles, handwoven hammam blankets, and gardens.

From Time • Oct. 13, 2017

Prof Hagen, who is affiliated to the University of Rochester, New York, suggests that it be called the Standard Model Scalar Meson, or SM Squared.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2013

A Bs Meson decays into two muons: a rare event that undermines a front-running theory The result does not rule out the possibility that super particles exist.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2012

We toiled over the Barrancas—threaded the valleys below, when taking another ascent, we attained a level, barren uncultivated region, and shortly drew bridles at the great Meson of Muchatilta.

From Los Gringos Or, An Inside View of Mexico and California, with Wanderings in Peru, Chili, and Polynesia by Wise, H. A. (Henry Augustus)