noun
Meaning 1
The Higgs boson.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Phrase guide
God particle
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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History
Etymology
Coined by American mathematician and physicist Leon M. Lederman in 1993 in his book The God Particle, the title having been changed at the suggestion of his editor. According to Lederman (page 22), he wanted to call the Higgs boson the Goddamn Particle, "given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing", but his publisher wouldn't let him. So they agreed to call it "The God Particle" as "there is a connection, of sorts" to the Bible and the story of the Tower of Babel in the sense that it appears as if the Higgs boson "has been put there to test and confuse us".
Across languages
Translations
1 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Chinese Mandarin: 上帝粒子 (shàngdì lìzǐ) — Higgs boson