Standard Lemma guide

W-boson

noun · 1 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

a fundamental particle, a gauge boson, that, together with the Z-boson, mediates the weak nuclear force; it has a charge of ± 1

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: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Coined by Chinese physicists Tsung-Dao Lee and Yang Chen-Ning in 1960; the W is believed to stand for weak.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: W-bosoni — fundamental particle
  • French: boson W — fundamental particle
  • Russian: W-бозон (W-bozon) — fundamental particle
  • Swedish: W-boson — fundamental particle