electron means the subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.
electron is pronounced /ɪˈlɛk.tɹɒn/.
Why “electron” is a great word
A stable subatomic particle with a negative electric charge, found in all atoms and acting as the primary carrier of electricity in solids. Its name is a blend of *electric* (relating to electricity) and *ion* (a charged particle), coined in 1891 by Anglo-Irish scientist George Johnstone Stoney to denote the fundamental unit of electric charge, later applied to the particle itself. Unlike “proton”—a dense, positive kernel bound to the atom’s center—or “electricity”—the broad, crackling phenomenon of flow—the electron is the specific, wandering agent of that flow. It is the blue‑white flash between fingertip and doorknob on a dry winter day, the ghostly hum beneath the skin of a subway rail, and the invisible current that holds every atom of your hand just far enough from collapsing into every other—nature’s fundamental restlessness, the smallest known bearer of a force that binds, burns, and breathes life into circuits.
Etymology
Blend of electric + ion, coined by Anglo-Irish scientist George Stoney in 1891, changed by him multiple times from an earlier electrolion and original electrine (used as early as 1874) as the name for the electric charge associated with a univalent ion. Compare electro-, -on. The particle ("corpuscule") was discovered in 1896. The name electrion was proposed for the particle in 1906 but curtailed because Hendrik Lorentz preferred electron.
noun
- The subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.
- Alloys of magnesium and other metals, like aluminum or zinc, that were manufactured by the German company Chemische Fabrik Griesheim-Elektron⁽ᵈᵉ⁾.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- electronlike 62% match — Having the characteristics of an electron vs electron →
- negatron 57% match — Synonym of electron. vs electron →
- coelectron 57% match — A positive free ion left behind when other electrons have joined onto other ions and become negative. vs electron →
- negaton 57% match — A normal, negatively-charged electron, especially in comparison with a positon vs electron →
- electronics 56% match — The study and use of electrical devices that operate by controlling the flow of electrons or other electrically charged particles or by converting the flow of charged particles to or from other forms of energy. vs electron →
- electronic 56% match — Of or pertaining to an electron or electrons. vs electron →
- electride 55% match — An ionic compound in which an electron is the anion. vs electron →
- electrogen 54% match — Something (especially a living organism) that produces electricity (or transfers electrons). vs electron →