antiparticlen.
/ˈantɪˌpɑːtᵻkl/, U.S. /ˈæn(t)iˌpɑrdək(ə)l/, /ˈænˌtaɪˌpɑrdək(ə)l/, /ˈæn(t)əˌpɑrdək(ə)l/ Physics.
A subatomic particle having the same mass and spin as a given particle, but the opposite sign for all other non-zero quantum numbers, including electric charge.Every subatomic particle has a corresponding antiparticle; for example, the positron is the antiparticle of the electron, and the antiproton is the antiparticle of the proton. Some particles, such as the photon, are their own antiparticle. An interaction between a particle and its antiparticle can lead to their mutual annihilation.
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the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [noun] > subatomic particles > anti-particles
antiparticle1934
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > particle physics > [noun] > anti-particle
antiparticle1934
1934 Chem. Abstr. 28 2263 (title) Theoretical remarks on the..symmetry between particles and antiparticles [Fr. anti-corpuscules].
1989 R. Penrose Emperor's New Mind (1991) viii. 362 This occurs via the quantum process of ‘virtual pair creation’, whereby particles and anti-particles are continually being created out of the vacuum.
2021 Conversation (U.K.) (Nexis) 22 Apr. If the antiparticles were to make contact with any parts of the apparatus–which was of course made of matter–they'd simply annihilate on contact, disappearing altogether.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021).
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n.1934