muon

American  

[myoo-on] / ˈmju ɒn /

noun

Physics.

1. a lepton similar in most respects to the electron except that it is unstable, it may be positively charged, and its mass is approximately 207 times greater; the positively charged muon is the antiparticle of the negatively charged muon. μ

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muon British  

/ ˈmjuːɒn /

noun

1. a positive or negative elementary particle with a mass 207 times that of an electron and spin 1/ 2 . It was originally called the mu meson but is now classified as a lepton

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muon Scientific  

/ myo̅o̅′ŏn′ /

1. An elementary particle in the lepton family having a mass 209 times that of the electron, a negative electric charge, and a mean lifetime of 2.2 × 10 ^{- 6} seconds. The muon was originally called the mu-meson and was once thought to be a meson.

2. See Table at subatomic particle

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Other Word Forms

• muonic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of muon

1950–55; by shortening of mu meson; see mu, -on ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

muon

They come in three varieties, called electron, muon, and tau neutrinos.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

When one of these neutrinos interacts with the ice, it can produce a rapidly moving electron or muon.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

Measuring the displacement would allow the researchers to determine how gravity acts on the muon.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Under the plans, it will run for fewer hours, some of its instruments will shut, and its muon experiments will close altogether.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

The world's ultimate pragmatist just shrugs and says: "NhUng gi minh mong it khi nao no jcay ra. Nhung gi minh khong muon thi no lai cti den."

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

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