subatomic

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   of or relating to constituents of the atom or forces within the atom

   Subatomic particles.

2. 2
   adj

   Relating to particles that are constituents of the atom, or are smaller than an atom; such as proton, neutron, electron, etc.

   We humans are so stuck in the middle of the cosmic scales — in average height, one-hundredth of one-septillionth (10^-24) the size of the observable universe, and with typical life spans of a couple octillion attoseconds. And an attosecond is an eternity compared with the lifetime of the elusive Higgs boson, a subatomic particle that exists for one-thousandth of an attosecond before decaying.

3. 3
   adj

   Relating to something that is smaller in scale than the diameter of a hydrogen atom.

   The electron microscope is able to resolve detail at the subatomic level.

4. 4
   adj

   of smaller than atomic dimensions

From sub- + atomic.

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