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fifth force

noun

a theoretical force in nature in addition to the strong and weak forces, gravitation, and the electromagnetic force.

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Origin of fifth force

First recorded in 1975–80

Words nearby fifth force

Fifth Commandment, fifth cranial nerve, fifth dimension, fifth disease, fifth estate, fifth force, fifth-generation, fifthly, fifth monarchy, Fifth Monarchy Men, fifth position
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for fifth force

fifth force

noun

a hypothetical non-Newtonian repulsive component of the force of gravity, postulated as an addition to the four known fundamental forces (gravitational, electromagnetic, strong, and weak)
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

Scientific definitions for fifth force

fifth force
[ fĭfth ]

Any of various hypothetical, very weak forces thought to cause bodies to repel each other. Such forces are occasionally considered as a solution to unexpected deviations in the measured value of the gravitational constant or to explain the apparent acceleration of very distant galaxies away from earth.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.