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Added 10 October 2026

neutron

/ˈn(j)uː.tɹɒn/ noun

In Latin: none, coined in 1899 Coined: 1899, by William Sutherland Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about neutron at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An elementary particle with 0 charge and mass about equal to a proton; enters into the structure of the atomic nucleus.

Origin

From neutral + -on; by surface analysis, neutr(o)- + -on. Coined by Scottish-Australian physicist William Sutherland in 1899 in a paper in the Philosophical Magazine. Subsequent usage was sporadic and theoretical, sometimes referring to neutrinos rather than neutrons, and the modern sense was reintroduced alongside proton by Ernest Rutherford in 1920.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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