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neutrino

neutrino

noun neh-oo-TREE-noh Rare

Origin: Coined by Enrico Fermi in 1933; Italian diminutive of neutrone (neutron).

Usage Note

Neutrino entered physics vocabulary through Italian: Fermi formed it as a diminutive of neutrone to mean 'little neutral one.' The word is used identically in Italian and English. The plural is regular: neutrini.

Examples

"Il neutrino ha una massa quasi nulla."

Natural Translation

The neutrino has an almost zero mass.

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