Nucleons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The particles found in the nucleus of an atom, including protons and neutrons
2. Atomic nucleus components consisting of protons and neutrons that together form the core of an atom
3. The essential particles located at the center of an atom, made up of positively charged protons and neutral neutrons

Etymology: Nucleons are named for the nucleus they make up, but the "-on" ending is the more interesting part. English took "electron" from Ancient Greek "ēlektron," the word for amber, and when physicists needed names for particles in the early twentieth century they borrowed the same "-on" ending, which came from Greek "ion," the Greek word for something that goes. The electron got its name from the Greek for amber because static electricity was first observed in rubbed amber, and "electric" itself grew from that root through Latin "electrum." "Nucleon" was built in English from "nucleus," a Latin word meaning a kernel or the core of a nut, combined with this "-on" suffix. The result is a name that treats protons and neutrons as particles of the nucleus, a little like electrons, which share the same ending and belong to the atom's outer region. The ending makes the word sound like a particle name, which is exactly what it is.