gluon

American  

[gloo-on] / ˈglu ɒn /

noun

Physics.

1. a massless particle with spin 1 that transmits the strong force between quarks, binding them together into baryons and mesons.

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gluon British  

/ ˈɡluːɒn /

noun

1. a hypothetical particle believed to be exchanged between quarks in order to bind them together to form particles

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gluon Scientific  

/ glo̅o̅′ŏn /

1. The subatomic particle that mediates the strong force. The exchange of gluons between two quarks changes the color of the quarks and results in the attractive force holding them together in hadrons. Gluons are bosons.

2. See Table at subatomic particle

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Etymology

Origin of gluon

First recorded in 1970–75; glue + -on ¹

Example Sentences

Because electrons are elementary particles, these experiments will offer a clearer way to probe dense gluon systems inside individual protons.

From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2026

The electromagnetic force is conveyed by the photon, the strong force by the gluon, and the weak force by particles called the W boson and Z boson.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 27, 2024

In the figure, a red down quark interacts with a green- strange quark by sending it a gluon.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

This is controlled by a particle called the gluon.

From Scientific American • Oct. 14, 2013

Similarly, confinement prevents one having a single gluon on its own, because gluons also have color.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking