top quark

noun

, Physics.

1. a heavy quark having electric charge 2/3 times the elementary charge.

top quark

/ tŏp /

1. A quark with a charge of +2/3. Its mass is larger than that of all the other quarks and is about 360,000 times that of the electron.
2. See Table at subatomic particle

Word History and Origins

Origin of top quark¹

First recorded in 1975–80