Positron

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɒz.ɪ.tɹɒn/

Definitions

1. A positively charged subatomic particle that acts as the antimatter equivalent of an electron while having identical mass
2. This fundamental particle carries a positive charge and is the antimatter counterpart to the electron, involved in certain radiation processes
3. A subatomic particle identical in mass to an electron but with a positive electrical charge, representing its antimatter version

Etymology: The positron was named in 1932 by the American physicist Carl Anderson, who had just detected a particle with the mass of an electron but a positive charge. Its name is a blend of "positive" and "electron," with the "-tron" ending borrowed from the electron itself, so the name reads as "the positive electron." Anderson's discovery had a predecessor: the term "antielectron" was in use before he settled on the new name. The name was built to fit a family of particle names. The "-tron" ending comes from "electron," which itself was formed from the Greek "ēlektron," meaning amber, because static electricity was first studied in rubbed amber. Anderson's choice gave the antiparticle a name that signals its relationship to the electron while stating its charge outright.