gluon

[ gloo-on ]

/ ˈglu ɒn /

noun Physics.

an unobserved massless particle with spin 1 that is believed to transmit the strong force between quarks, binding them together into baryons and mesons.

Nearby words

gluhwein, glum, glum bum, glumaceous, glume, gluon, gluonium, glurge, gluside, glut, glutamate

Origin of gluon

First recorded in 1970–75; glue + -on¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for gluon

gluon

/ (ˈɡluːɒn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for gluon

C20: from glue + -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

Science definitions for gluon

gluon

[ glōō′ŏn ]

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. See Table at subatomic particle.