particelle

particles

noun par-TEE-chel-leh Rare

Origin: Latin particula, diminutive of pars 'part'.

Usage Note

Particelle is the plural of particella (f). In everyday Italian it can mean tiny parts or specks, but in scientific discourse it almost always refers to subatomic particles (particelle elementari). Note that particella is also a grammatical term for short function words in some linguistic traditions.

Examples

"Le particelle elementari sono studiate al CERN."

Natural Translation

Elementary particles are studied at CERN.

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