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Molecule

2 stages from New Latin to English.

Today it means the smallest unit of a chemical compound that retains its properties
1
Stage 1 of 2
molecula
New Latin · 1600s
"a small mass"
a diminutive of moles (mass), literally a small mass
2
Stage 2 of 2
molecule
English · 1670s
"the smallest unit of a chemical compound"
adopted directly for the smallest particle of a substance retaining its properties
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