|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| at·om [ áttəm ] (plural at·oms) |
noun |
|
| Definition: |
| |
1. smallest part of element: the smallest portion into which an element can be divided and still retain its properties, made up of a dense, positively charged nucleus surrounded by a system of electrons. Atoms usually do not divide in chemical reactions except for some removal, transfer, or exchange of specific electrons.
|
2. very small amount: a very small part or amount
 not an atom of truth
|
3. particle of matter in Greek philosophy: the basic particle of matter, indestructible and indivisible, first proposed by ancient Greek philosophers as the fundamental component of the universe
|
| [16th century. < Latin atomus< Greek atomos "unable to be cut" < temnein "to cut"] |
|
|
|
