particle
noun
par·ti·cle
ˈpär-ti-kəl
1
a
: a minute quantity or fragment
b
: a relatively small or the smallest discrete portion or amount of something
2
archaic
: a clause or article of a composition or document
3
: any of the basic units of matter and energy (such as a molecule, atom, proton, electron, or photon)
4
: a unit of speech expressing some general aspect of meaning or some connective or limiting relation and including the articles, most prepositions and conjunctions, and some interjections and adverbs
the particle up has a perfective meaning in phrases such as beat up and cut up
5
: a small eucharistic wafer distributed to a Roman Catholic layman at Communion
Cite this Entry
“Particle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/particle. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.
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