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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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

See Examples For:

CERN

At CERN, atomic nuclei can be accelerated to nearly the speed of light and smashed together.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

After graduating in 2003, Roberts pursued a Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the University of Southampton and studied dark matter at CERN, the Swiss nuclear research center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

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

I saw a 2013 documentary about CERN, which features a shot of an engineer bicycling through the LHC tunnel during a collider shutdown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2024

A year later, at a Geneva symposium sponsored by CERN, Ernest ran into Stan Livingston.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik