Definition of PHOTON

photon

Plural: photons

Noun

  • a quantum of electromagnetic radiation; an elementary particle that is its own antiparticle
  • The quantum of light and other electromagnetic energy, regarded as a discrete particle having zero rest mass, no electric charge, and an indefinitely long lifetime. It is a gauge boson.

Origin / Etymology

From photo- + -on. Coined by American physicist Leonard Troland in 1916 as a unit of light hitting the retina, and later popularized in a more modern sense by Gilbert N. Lewis, with the term gaining acceptance in the physics community by the late 1920s.

Scrabble Score: 11

photon is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
photon is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
photon is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

photon is a valid Words With Friends word