baryon

American  

[bar-ee-on] / ˈbær iˌɒn /

noun

Physics.

1. a proton, neutron, or any elementary particle that decays into a set of particles that includes a proton.

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baryon British  

/ ˈbærɪˌɒn /

noun

1. any of a class of elementary particles that have a mass greater than or equal to that of the proton, participate in strong interactions, and have a spin of 1/ 2 . Baryons are either nucleons or hyperons. The baryon number is the number of baryons in a system minus the number of antibaryons

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baryon Scientific  

/ băr′ē-ŏn′ /

1. Any of a family of subatomic particles composed of three quarks or three antiquarks. They are generally more massive than mesons, and interact with each other via the strong force. Baryons form a subclass of hadrons and are subdivided into nucleons and hyperons. Protons and neutrons are baryons.

2. See Table at subatomic particle

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Other Word Forms

• baryonic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of baryon

1950–55; < Greek barý ( s ) heavy + (fermi)on

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baryon

That left an important question: What was carrying the extra baryon number?

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

"In the collision, the baryon junction gets held behind, and the quarks continue on," he noted.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

In that picture, a proton has a baryon number of plus one, divided equally among its three main valence quarks.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

"Our findings strongly support the idea that baryon number is more favorably carried and transported by gluons, the particles that hold quarks together, when arranged in this special configuration."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

"Using data collected from different types of particle collisions at RHIC, our results suggest that the baryon number is not simply carried by individual quarks," Xu added.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026