nanoparticle

[ nan-oh-pahr-ti-kuhl, ney-noh- ]

/ ˈnæn oʊˌpɑr tɪ kəl, ˈneɪ noʊ- /

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noun

a microscopic particle of matter that is measured on the nanoscale, usually one that measures less than 100 nanometers.

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Origin of nanoparticle

First recorded in 1980–85; nano- + particle

Words nearby nanoparticle

nanomaterial, nanometer, nanometre, nanomole, nanook, nanoparticle, nanophysics, nanoplankton, nanopublishing, nanoscale, nanosecond

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nanoparticle in a sentence

Novavax’s vaccine, given in two shots 21 days apart, contains a rod-shaped nanoparticle studded with the coronavirus’s spike protein.
Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is effective, but less so with some variants|Tina Hesman Saey|January 29, 2021|Science News
The process involves placing polyethylene inside a reaction chamber set to 280° C, with a catalyst powder containing platinum nanoparticles.
Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills|Maria Temming|January 27, 2021|Science News
Moderna had been working for 10 years to improve its nanoparticles.
mRNA Technology Gave Us the First COVID-19 Vaccines. It Could Also Upend the Drug Industry|Walter Isaacson|January 11, 2021|Time
The vaccines both use a genetic molecule called mRNA that is enclosed in a nanoparticle to deliver instructions to cells to make the coronavirus’ spike protein, which the virus uses to break into cells.
How does the newly authorized Moderna COVID-19 vaccine compare to Pfizer’s?|Erin Garcia de Jesus|December 19, 2020|Science News

The result of their work is a vaccine made of nanoparticles coated with flu proteins that do just that.
One-shot flu shot|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review

British Dictionary definitions for nanoparticle

nanoparticle

/ (ˈnænəʊˌpɑːtɪkəl) /

noun

a particle with dimensions less than 100 nanometres

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