strangeness
Americannoun
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the quality or condition of being strange.
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Physics. a quantum number assigned the value −1 for one kind of quark, +1 for its antiquark, and 0 for all other quarks; the strangeness of a hadron is the sum of the values for the strangeness of its constituent quarks and antiquarks. S
noun
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the state or quality of being strange
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physics a property of certain elementary particles, characterized by a quantum number ( strangeness number ) conserved in strong and electromagnetic but not in weak interactions. It is associated with the presence of strange quarks
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The property of containing a strange quark or antiquark. Strangeness is expressed in terms of an integer quantum number, −1 for each strange quark and +1 for each strange antiquark. Hadrons that possess strangeness are called strange. The total strangeness of a quantum system is unchanged by decay processes involving the strong or electromagnetic forces; however, decay through the weak force can change the total strangeness of the system.
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See also baryon number isospin
Etymology
Origin of strangeness
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at strange, -ness
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.
She said that the change to the script added a spiritual strangeness to the film and gave the second act a real climax, because no one expected to lose the Jedi master.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
Some species and populations take this strangeness even further by producing seeds without fertilization -- a reproductive strategy that is extremely rare among plants.
From Science Daily • Dec. 20, 2025
It was comical, sure, but it also summed up the strangeness of the whole night.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025
In this account of life with a wild creature—a being by turns serene and frisky, trusting and standoffish—Ms. Dalton connects readers with the strangeness of the natural world.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
I remember thinking about the strangeness of this country: it is very cold outside and extremely hot inside.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
