lepton

IPA/ˈlep.tɒn/
IPA/ˈlep.tɑːn/

lepton — noun

  • leptonsingular
  • leptonsplural

1. in physics, a tiny basic kind of matter, such as an electron or a neutrino, that

1.名詞C2
釋義

in physics, a tiny basic kind of matter, such as an electron or a neutrino, that takes part in the weak nuclear force but never in the strong one.

例句

Indra explained that an electron is the most familiar kind of lepton.

definitional frame: 'X is a kind of lepton'

The textbook divides matter into two families: quarks and leptons.

collocation: 'quarks and leptons' as paired categories

同義詞
反義詞
  • quark

    the other main family of elementary matter particles; quarks feel the strong force, leptons do not

文法句型

a lepton

leptons such as [examples]

用法筆記

Almost exclusively used in physics writing or teaching; rarely heard outside that context. Often appears in the plural 'leptons' when listing categories of matter.

常見錯誤

❌A lepton is a small money coin used in Athens.
✅A lepton is a tiny particle of matter studied in physics.
💡the physics sense and the currency sense are completely separate; the physics meaning is much more common today.
❌Protons and neutrons are leptons.
✅Electrons, muons, and neutrinos are leptons.
💡protons and neutrons are made of quarks, not leptons.

2. a small unit of older Greek money, worth one hundredth of a drachma, used before

2.名詞C2
釋義

a small unit of older Greek money, worth one hundredth of a drachma, used before Greece switched to the euro.

例句

Christopher collected an old Greek lepton from his grandmother's coin box.

noun phrase: 'an old Greek lepton'

In the museum, Tunde held up a worn lepton minted in nineteenth-century Athens.

historical context: 'minted in [place/period]'

文法句型

a lepton

[number] lepta

用法筆記

Now historical; you encounter this word in coin-collecting writing, museum labels, or texts about Greece before 2002. The plural is 'lepta', not 'leptons', for this sense — that helps distinguish it from sense 1 in writing.

常見錯誤

❌I paid two leptons for the bread.
✅I paid two lepta for the bread.
💡the historical currency plural is 'lepta'; 'leptons' refers to physics particles.