atom

1. 1.

   (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element

   Broadersubstance

   Narrowerisotopemonadcarbon atomhydrogen atomfree radical

   Part ofchemical elementmolecule

   Partselementary particlenucleus

   physics · chemistry

2. 2.

   (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything

   Synonymsmoleculeparticlecorpusclemotespeck

   Broadermaterial

   Narrowergraingrindingchylomicronflyspeckidentification particle

Other forms of atom

plural

atoms·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about atom

What does atom mean?

atom means "(physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in atom?

atom has 2 syllables: at-om. The stress falls on "at". In IPA it is /ˈætəm/.

What is another word for atom?

Close synonyms include molecule, particle, corpuscle, mote, speck. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is atom a common word?

atom is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.