micron

American  

[mahy-kron] / ˈmaɪ krɒn /

Or mikron

noun

plural

microns, micra

1. Also called micrometer.  the millionth part of a meter. μ, mu

2. Physical Chemistry. a colloidal particle whose diameter is between 0.2 and 10 microns.

3. Physics. a very small unit of pressure, equal to that exerted by a column of mercury 1μ high.

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micron British  

/ ˈmaɪkrɒn /

noun

1. a unit of length equal to 10 ^–6 metre. It is being replaced by the micrometre, the equivalent SI unit

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micron Scientific  

/ mī′krŏn′ /

1. See micrometer

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Etymology

Origin of micron

1880–85; < Greek mīkrón a little, noun use of neuter singular of mīkrós small; -on ¹

Compare meaning

How does micron compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• micron vs. nanometer

Example Sentences

While the extracellular membranes in human organs are often less than one micron thick, these polymer membranes are anywhere from 30 to 50 microns, hindering communication between cells and limiting cell growth.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024

Previous studies have looked at slightly bigger microplastics that range from the visible 5 millimeters, less than a quarter of an inch, to one micron.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2024

Transphorm uses ultra thin layers of gallium nitride that are a micron, or one thousandth of a millimetre thick, on its semiconductors.

From Reuters • Jul. 11, 2023

The agency said that Mars Wrigley didn’t properly train the workers when they went to clean the Dove chocolate batching 20 micron tank.

From Washington Times • Feb. 13, 2023

To get down to the scale of atoms, you would need to take each one of those micron slices and shave it into ten thousand finer widths.

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