muon

noun

mu·​on ˈmyü-ˌän How to pronounce muon (audio)
: an unstable lepton that is common in the cosmic radiation near the earth's surface, has a mass about 207 times the mass of the electron, and exists in negative and positive forms
muonic adjective

Examples of muon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Combined, these tell us that the muon had to be the product of a neutrino interacting with the ocean near the detector. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 12 Feb. 2025 By analyzing that light, physicists were able to reconstruct the muon’s submarine path, estimate the energy of the original neutrino and pinpoint its origins to a particular region of space. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2025 The particle accelerators used to generate muons are very energy intensive, so many fusion reactions must be generated per muon to break even in energy output. IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2024 Specifically, the neutrino bumped into some matter and created another type of tiny particle called a muon, which in turn set off a glowing wave of blue photons that the detector could see. Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for muon

Word History

Etymology

contraction of earlier mu-meson, from mu

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of muon was in 1951

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Muon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muon. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on muon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!