meron

M3E1R1O1N1

noun

Either of the pair of entities that together make up an instanton.

Similar
half-instanton
OriginAncient Greek μῆρος →
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

meron1

nounmeron (plural merons)

plural merons

  1. natural sciencesEither of the pair of entities that together make up an instanton.

    Synonyms: half-instanton

meron2

nounmeron (plural merons)

plural merons

  1. biologyA sclerite on the side of the thorax of an insect, above the coxae of the mid and hind legs.

meron3

nounmeron (plural merons)

plural merons

  1. The unit of classification in meronomy.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounEither of the pair of entities that together make up an instanton.

Similar
half-instanton
Also see
hypopleuron

Origin

meron · noun

From mero- (“part, portion”) + -on. Coined by American scientists Curtis G. Allan Jr., Roger Dashen, and David J. Gross, in 1977.

Full word history & related roots →

meron · noun

  1. Ancient Greekμῆρος“thigh”
  2. Englishmeron

Back-formation from epimeron, ultimately from Ancient Greek μῆρος (mêros, “thigh”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

meron · noun

From meronomy, by analogy with taxon.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Menormorneenormmonernomer
Cite this entry
APA

meron. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meron

MLA

“meron.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meron. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “meron,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meron.

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