Standard Lemma guide

holon

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One of three kinds of quasiparticle (the others being the spinon and orbiton) that electrons in solids are able to split into during the process of spin–charge separation, when extremely tightly confined at temperatures close to absolute zero.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: particle

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chargon

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something that is both a part and a whole.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From hole + -on.

From holo- (from Ancient Greek ὅλος (hólos, “whole”)) + -on (like taxon or meron). Coined by Arthur Koestler in his 1967 book The Ghost in the Machine.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: holoni — quasiparticle
  • French: chargeon — quasiparticle
  • Khmer: រន្ធាណូ (rʊənthien) — quasiparticle
  • Finnish: holoni — connection of the part and the whole
  • French: holon — connection of the part and the whole
  • German: Holon — connection of the part and the whole