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polyatomic

American

[pol-ee-uh-tom-ik] / ˌpɒl i əˈtɒm ɪk /

adjective

Chemistry.

pertaining to a molecule containing more than two atoms.

polyatomic British

/ ˌpɒlɪəˈtɒmɪk /

adjective

(of a molecule) containing more than two atoms

"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

Etymology

Origin of polyatomic

First recorded in 1855–60; poly- + atomic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Understanding how many atoms move and interact inside laser-driven polyatomic molecules is essential for any attempt to guide chemical reactions using intense light.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2025

For example, electrons or polyatomic gases in a magnetic field do behave this way.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2024

In their lower oxidation states, the transition elements form ionic compounds; in their higher oxidation states, they form covalent compounds or polyatomic ions.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Typical oxyacids consist of hydrogen combined with a polyatomic, oxygen-containing ion.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

All the other hexoses, whose structure is shown on pages 37 and 38, occur in plants only as constituents of the more complex saccharides, in glucoside-formations, or as the corresponding polyatomic alcohols.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023