Lepton (Noun)
Meaning 1
An elementary particle that participates in weak interactions; has a baryon number of 0.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made).
Examples
- The neutrino is a type of lepton that does not carry electric charge and interacts via the weak nuclear force.
- In the Standard Model of particle physics, there are six known leptons: the electron, the muon, and their corresponding neutrinos, as well as the tau and its neutrino.
- Each lepton is a fundamental particle that does not consist of other, smaller particles and cannot be broken down further.
- The lepton is one of two main categories of particle in the Standard Model, alongside the quark, with different lepton and quark types combining to form different particles.
- In physics experiments, detecting and studying high-energy leptons is an important aspect of probing the nature of subatomic particles.
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 2
100 lepta equal 1 drachma in Greece.
Classification
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure.
Examples
- The smallest denomination of Greek currency at that time was the lepton, which was often used to refer to something of very low value.
- In Greece, a hundred lepta were equivalent to one drachma, making each lepton a relatively insignificant amount of money.
- The waiter rounded up the bill to the nearest drachma, essentially giving a discount of a few lepta.
- Before the introduction of the euro, Greek coins included denominations of one, five, 10, and 50 lepta.
- Years after the currency change, locals still sometimes referred to small change as a few lepta, as a nostalgic memory of the old drachma.