electron

E1L1E1C3T1R1O1N1
UK/ɪˈlɛk.tɹɒn/US/ɪˈlɛk.tɹɑn/

noun

The subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.

Similar
enegatron
CommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

nounelectron (plural electrons)

plural electrons · alternative electrion

  1. particlenatural sciencesThe subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.

    Synonyms: e, negatron

  2. obsoletechemistryAlloys of magnesium and other metals, like aluminum or zinc, that were manufactured by the German company Chemische Fabrik Griesheim-Elektron⁽ᵈᵉ⁾.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.

Similar
enegatron

More synonyms by meaning

nounan elementary particle with negative charge

Similar
negatron
Broader
lepton
Also see
negatron

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Blend of electric + ion, coined by Anglo-Irish scientist George Stoney in 1891, changed by him multiple times from an earlier electrolion and original electrine (used as early as 1874) as the name for the electric charge associated with a univalent ion. Compare electro-, -on. The particle ("corpuscule") was discovered in 1896. The name electrion was proposed for the particle in 1906 but curtailed because Hendrik Lorentz preferred electron.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Arabic إِلِكْتْرُون, كُهَيْرِب
  • إِلِكْتْرُون (ʔiliktrūn)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • كُهَيْرِب (kuhayrib)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Basque elektroi
  • elektroithe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Bengali ইলেকট্রন
  • ইলেকট্রন (ilekṭron)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Brazilian Portuguese elétron
  • elétronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Bulgarian електро́н
  • електро́н (elektrón)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Catalan electró
  • electróthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Chinese Cantonese 電子 /电子
  • 電子 /电子 (din⁶ zi²)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Chinese Mandarin 電子 /电子
  • 電子 /电子 (diànzǐ)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Czech elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Danish elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Dutch elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Esperanto elektrono
  • elektronothe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Estonian elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
European Portuguese eletrão
  • eletrãothe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Finnish elektroni
  • elektronithe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
French électron
  • électronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
German Elektron
  • Elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Greek ηλεκτρόνιο
  • ηλεκτρόνιο (ilektrónio)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Hawaiian huna ʻine
  • huna ʻinethe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Hebrew אֶלֶקְטְרוֹן
  • אֶלֶקְטְרוֹן (elektrón)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Hindi विद्युदणु, इलेक्ट्रॉन
  • विद्युदणु (vidyudṇu)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • इलेक्ट्रॉन (ilekṭrŏn)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Hungarian elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Icelandic rafeind
  • rafeindthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Indonesian elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Irish leictreon
  • leictreonthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Italian elettrone
  • elettronethe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Japanese 電子, エレクトロン
  • 電子 (denshi)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • エレクトロン (erekutoron)an alloy
  • マグネシウム合金 (maguneshiumu gōkin)an alloy
Korean 전자
  • 전자 (jeonja)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Latvian elektrons
  • elektronsthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Lithuanian elektronas
  • elektronasthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Malay elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Māori irahiko
  • irahikothe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Norwegian Bokmål elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Persian الکترون
  • الکترون (elektron)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Polish elektron, elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • elektronan alloy
Punjabi ਬਿਜਲਾਣੂ
  • ਬਿਜਲਾਣੂ (bijlāṇū)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Romanian electron
  • electronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Russian электро́н
  • электро́н (elektrón)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Slovak elektrón
  • elektrónthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Spanish electrón, negatrón
  • electrónthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • negatrónthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Swedish elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Tagalog dagisik
  • dagisikthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Tamil எதிர்மின்னி, எலெக்ட்ரான்
  • எதிர்மின்னி (etirmiṉṉi)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • எலெக்ட்ரான் (elekṭrāṉ)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • மின்னணு (miṉṉaṇu)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Thai อิเล็กตรอน
  • อิเล็กตรอน (ì-lék-dtrɔn)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Turkish elektron
  • elektronthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Ukrainian електро́н
  • електро́н (elektrón)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Urdu بَرْقِیَہ, الیکٹران
  • بَرْقِیَہ (barqiyā)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • الیکٹران (ilekṭrān)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Vietnamese ê-léc-trông, điện tử
  • ê-léc-trôngthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
  • điện tửthe negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Yiddish עלעקטראָן
  • עלעקטראָן (elektron)the negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit atoms
Cite this entry
APA

electron. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electron

MLA

“electron.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electron. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “electron,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electron.

Source: electron on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.