Meanings
nounHiggs mechanism (plural Higgs mechanisms)
plural Higgs mechanisms
- natural sciencesThe proposed interaction between elementary particles and the Higgs field that imbues the particles with mass and breaks the electroweak symmetry.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From Higgs (“a surname”) + mechanism; named after British physicist Peter Higgs, who is credited with its discovery.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Higgs mechanism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Higgs%20mechanism
MLA
“Higgs mechanism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Higgs%20mechanism. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Higgs mechanism,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Higgs%20mechanism.
Source: Higgs mechanism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.