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Where does the word "neutron" come from? It comes from Latin neuter, and was adopted directly into English (1921).
Read the full story
Where does the word "neutron" come from? It comes from Latin neuter, and was adopted directly into English (1921).
Neutron’s story begins in Latin: neuter meant “neither, neutral.” Neither, neutral, describing the particle's lack of electric charge. It reached English by 1921 as neutron. Coined for the electrically neutral subatomic particle. Today, neutron means a subatomic particle with no electric charge, found in atomic nuclei.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient neuter "neither, neutral", neither, neutral, describing the particle's lack of electric charge.
- Stage 2 · English · 1921 neutron "an electrically neutral subatomic particle", coined for the electrically neutral subatomic particle.