lepton

IPA/ˈlep.tɒn/
IPA/ˈlep.tɑːn/

lepton — 名詞

  • 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

輕子

受弱力作用的基本粒子

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.

Indra 解釋說電子是大家最熟悉的一種輕子。

definitional frame: 'X is a kind of lepton'

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

這本教科書把物質分成兩大家族：夸克和輕子。

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

雷普頓

希臘舊貨幣，相當於百分之一德拉克馬

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.

Christopher 從祖母的錢幣盒裡找到一枚舊希臘雷普頓。

noun phrase: 'an old Greek lepton'

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

在博物館裡，Tunde 拿起一枚十九世紀雅典鑄造、磨損嚴重的雷普頓。

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.