strange particle
noun Physics.
any elementary particle with a strangeness quantum number other than zero.
Nearby words
strange, strange attractor, strange bedfellows, strange interlude, strange matter, strange particle, strange quark, strange star, strange to say, strangeness, stranger
Origin of strange particle
First recorded in 1955–60; originally so called because of the anomalously long decay time of such particles
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Science definitions for strange particle
strange particle
Any of various unstable elementary particles, having a short half-life and a nonzero strangeness quantum number. Sigma and xi baryons, for example, are strange particles.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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