subnuclear particle

[suhb-noo-klee-er, -nyoo- or, by metathesis, -kyuh-ler]

noun Physics.

any of the elementary particles, including those that do not exist in stable matter but appear as a result of high-energy collisions of other particles or nuclei.

Origin of subnuclear particle

First recorded in 1960–65; sub- + nuclear

Pronunciation note

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018