| 释义 |
corpuscular, a.|kɔːˈpʌskjʊlə(r)|
[f. L. type *corpusculāris, f. corpuscul-um: see prec. and -ar. Cf. mod.F. corpusculaire.]
1. Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of corpuscles; consisting of corpuscles.
1671J. Webster Metallogr. iii. 45 Atoms, or small corpuscular particles. 1812Sir H. Davy Chem. Philos. 124 To depend..upon the corpuscular aggregates being all of the same kind. 1876tr. Wagner's Gen. Pathol. 151 The corpuscular elements of the blood. 1878Stewart & Tait Unseen Univ. iv. §152. 156 The absorption of light is more compatible with a corpuscular constitution.
2. Concerned with corpuscles or atoms; = atomic 2; esp. in corpuscular philosophy, corpuscular theory.
1667Boyle (title) Origine of Formes and Qualities (According to the Corpuscular Philosophy). 1684― Porousn. Anim. & Solid Bod. vi. 95 Corpuscular Philosophers. 1678Cudworth Intell. Syst. 7 The atheistical system of the world..is built upon a peculiar physiological hypothesis..called by some ‘atomical’, or ‘corpuscular’. 1741Watts Improv. Mind ii. v. §2 According to the corpuscular philosophy, improved by Descartes, Mr. Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton. 1878Stewart & Tait Unseen Univ. (1880) 37 Adopting like Epicurus the atomic or corpuscular theory of things.
b. corpuscular theory of light = emission theory: see corpuscule, quot. 1853.
1833Herschel Astron. iv. 180 note, The undulatory and corpuscular theories of light. 1875Tait in Gd. Words 858 How completely shattered was the corpuscular theory of light when the velocity was shown to be 180,000 miles per second.
c. In the terminology of J. J. Thomson, concerned with or pertaining to electrons (cf. corpuscle 2 c).
1898J.J. Thomson Discharge Electr. through Gases 190 We shall call this theory of the cathode rays the ‘corpuscular theory’. 1904― Electr. & Matter v. 98 We shall, for the sake of brevity, speak of this kinetic energy of the corpuscles within the atom as the corpuscular temperature of the atom. |