particle

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

par·ticle [particle particles] BrE [ˈpɑːtɪkl] NAmE [ˈpɑːrtɪkl] noun
1. a very small piece of sth
•particles of dust
•dust particles
•There was not a particle of evidence (= no evidence at all) to support the case.
2. (physics)a very small piece of matter, such as an ↑electron or ↑proton, that is part of an atom
see also ↑alpha particle, ↑elementary particle
3. (grammar)an adverb or a preposition that can combine with a verb to make a phrasal verb
•In ‘She tore up the letter’, the word ‘up’ is a particle.
see also ↑adverbial particle

Word Origin:
late Middle English: from Latin particula ‘little part’, diminutive of pars, part-.

Example Bank:
•There was not a particle of evidence to prove his case.

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  subatomic particle, atom, molecule, corpuscle, mote, speck