Planck length

noun

A unit of length, believed to be the scale at which quantum gravity effects become significant, that is defined in terms of the speed of light, the gravitational constant and the reduced Planck's constant, namely: ℓ_P=√(\frac)hbar Gc³≈1.616 252(81)×10⁻³⁵ mbox m

Meanings

nounPlanck length (plural Planck lengths)

plural Planck lengths

  1. natural sciencesA unit of length, believed to be the scale at which quantum gravity effects become significant, that is defined in terms of the speed of light, the gravitational constant and the reduced Planck's constant, namely: ℓ_P=√(\frac)hbar Gc³≈1.616 252(81)×10⁻³⁵ mbox m
    1 more example

    As Dr. Feynman noted, there are still shorter scales of time and distance to go before we reach the ultimate limits imposed by quantum physics: the Planck length, 10^-33 of a centimeter, and the Planck time, 10^-43 of a second. Both are named for the German physicist Max Planck, who made the breakthrough that led to quantum mechanics.

    2023 October 9, Dennis Overbye, “The Science Nobel Winners Were Short and Fast”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 12 Oct 2023

Origin

Named after Max Planck, who defined it.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French longueur de Planck
  • longueur de Planckunit of length, believed to be the scale at which quantum gravity effects become significant
Japanese プランク長
  • プランク長 (puranku chō)unit of length, believed to be the scale at which quantum gravity effects become significant
Korean 플랑크 길이
  • 플랑크 길이 (peullangkeu giri)unit of length, believed to be the scale at which quantum gravity effects become significant
Polish długość Plancka
  • długość Planckaunit of length, believed to be the scale at which quantum gravity effects become significant
Cite this entry
APA

Planck length. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Planck%20length

MLA

“Planck length.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Planck%20length. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Planck length,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Planck%20length.

Source: Planck length on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.