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definitions

boson

[ boh-son ]
/ ˈboʊ sɒn /
|

noun Physics.

any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics: bosons have integral spins: 0, 1, 2, …

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Nearby words

  1. bosnia-herzegovina,
  2. bosnian,
  3. bosom,
  4. bosomed,
  5. bosomy,
  6. bosporus,
  7. bosquet,
  8. boss,
  9. boss around,
  10. boss cocky
Compare fermion.

Origin of boson

1945–50; named after S. N. Bose (1894–1974), Indian physicist; see -on1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for boson

British Dictionary definitions for boson

boson

/ (ˈbəʊzɒn) /

noun

any of a group of elementary particles, such as a photon or pion, that has zero or integral spin and obeys the rules of Bose-Einstein statisticsCompare fermion

Word Origin for boson

C20: named after Satyendra Nath Bose; see -on
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for boson

boson

n.

class of subatomic particles, named for Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose (1894-1974) + subatomic particle suffix -on.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Science definitions for boson

boson

[ bō′sŏn ]

Any of a class of elementary or composite particles, including the photon, pion, and gluon, that are not subject to the Pauli exclusion principle (that is, any two bosons can potentially be in the same quantum state). The value of the spin of a boson is always an integer. Mesons are bosons, as are the gauge bosons (the particles that mediate the fundamental forces). They are named after the physicist Satyendra Nath Bose. Compare fermion. See Note at elementary particle. See Table at subatomic particle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.