quantum C2+ Topic:Numbers & Quantity US /ˈkwɑntəm/ UK /ˈkwɒntəm/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a discrete quantity of energy, or the smallest possible amount A photon carries a single quantum of light energy. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a discrete quantity of... amountquantityportionmeasureunit Word family Derived forms quantaquantizequantal Related forms quantityquantifyquantitative Etymology AI details From Latin quantum ('how much'), neuter of quantus ('how great, how much'); adopted as a physics term by Max Planck. quantum Latin quantus Latin quam Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Numbers & Quantity External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # quantum **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈkwɑntəm/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkwɒntəm/ ## Meanings 1. a discrete quantity of energy, or the smallest possible amount ## Examples - A photon carries a single quantum of light energy. ## Synonyms - amount - quantity - portion - measure - unit ## Derived Forms - quanta - quantize - quantal ## Related Forms - quantity - quantify - quantitative ## Roots and Affixes - Root: quantum - Root: quantus - Root: quam ## Etymology From Latin quantum ('how much'), neuter of quantus ('how great, how much'); adopted as a physics term by Max Planck. ## AI Etymology Quantum is from Latin quantum ('how much'), neuter of quantus ('how great, how much'); adopted as a physics term by Max Planck. Important recorded forms include quantum (Latin), quantus (Latin), and quam (Latin). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers a discrete quantity of energy, or the smallest possible amount. The wider family includes derived forms such as quanta, quantize, and quantal and related words such as quantity, quantify, and quantitative. ## Topics - Numbers & Quantity markdown