tachyon

[ tak-ee-on ]

/ ˈtæk iˌɒn /

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noun Physics.

a hypothetical particle that travels faster than the speed of light.

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Origin of tachyon

First recorded in 1967; tachy- + -on¹

Words nearby tachyon

tachygraph, tachygraphy, tachylyte, tachymeter, tachymetry, tachyon, tachyphylaxis, tachypnea, tachypnoea, tachytelic, tacit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for tachyon

tachyon

/ (ˈtækɪˌɒn) /

noun

physics a hypothetical elementary particle capable of travelling faster than the velocity of light

Word Origin for tachyon

C20: from tachy- + -on

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

Scientific definitions for tachyon

tachyon

[ tăk′ē-ŏn′ ]

A hypothetical subatomic particle that travels faster than the speed of light. Although the principles of relativity forbid the acceleration of a particle past the speed of light, they do not prohibit the existence of particles that have always moved faster than that speed. No such particle has ever been detected.