positron

[ poz-i-tron ]

/ ˈpɒz ɪˌtrɒn /

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noun Physics.

an elementary particle having the same mass and spin as an electron but having a positive charge equal in magnitude to that of the electron's negative charge; the antiparticle of the electron.

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Also called antielectron, positive electron.

Origin of positron

First recorded in 1930–35; posi(tive) + (elec)tron

Words nearby positron

positive stain, positive theology, positive vetting, positivism, positivity, positron, positron emission tomography, positronium, posole, posology, poss.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use positron in a sentence

Even humble bananas emit positrons, the electron’s antimatter counterpart.
How particle detectors capture matter’s hidden, beautiful reality|Emily Conover|August 5, 2021|Science News
Where electrons have negative electric charge, positrons have positive charge.
Stars made of antimatter could lurk in our galaxy|Maria Temming|May 31, 2021|Science News For Students
Physicists also resisted the positron, until it became difficult to ignore.
How matter’s hidden complexity unleashed the power of nuclear physics|Emily Conover|April 8, 2021|Science News
The neutron and positron were both found in laboratories that are small in comparison with today’s, and each discovery was attributed to a single physicist, relatively soon after the particles had been proposed.
How matter’s hidden complexity unleashed the power of nuclear physics|Emily Conover|April 8, 2021|Science News

In the 1930s, antimatter was such a leap that Dirac’s hesitation to propose the positron was understandable.
How matter’s hidden complexity unleashed the power of nuclear physics|Emily Conover|April 8, 2021|Science News
The uncertainty in the positron counts are huge at the high energy end of the AMS-02 results.
Still No Dark Matter from Space Station Experiment|Matthew R. Francis|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, the data seem to show positron counts leveling off at high energy, but things are still pretty messy.
Still No Dark Matter from Space Station Experiment|Matthew R. Francis|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the gamma rays enter the sleeve, they interact with that photon gas, annihilating into electron-positron pairs.
We Can Create Matter from Light?!|Matthew R. Francis|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another highly regarded method was PET, or positron emission tomography.
Illustrating the Brain|Casey Schwartz|December 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
These units are the positron, the negatron, and the neutron.
Cube Root of Conquest|Roger Phillips Graham
The design of the electron brain had completely ignored the polarity of the positron.
Joy Ride|Mark Meadows
As I am the only scholar in my field—the polarity of the positron—I have never been asked for information.
Joy Ride|Mark Meadows

British Dictionary definitions for positron

positron

/ (ˈpɒzɪˌtrɒn) /

noun

physics the antiparticle of the electron, having the same mass but an equal and opposite charge. It is produced in certain decay processes and in pair production, annihilation occurring when it collides with an electron

Word Origin for positron

C20: from posi (tive + elec) tron

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