zitterbewegung

Z10I1T1T1E1R1B3E1W4E1G2U1N1G2

noun

An extremely fast oscillation of free electrons (and other particles) predicted by some solutions of the Dirac equation

OriginGerman zittern →
Scrabble 30
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Meanings

nounzitterbewegung (uncountable)
  1. uncountablenatural sciencesAn extremely fast oscillation of free electrons (and other particles) predicted by some solutions of the Dirac equation

Origin

  1. Germanzittern“to tremble, jitter”
  2. Englishzitterbewegung

From German zittern (“to tremble, jitter”) + Bewegung (“motion”).

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“zitterbewegung.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zitterbewegung. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zitterbewegung,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zitterbewegung.

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