French word

atome

Pronunciation

IPA/atom/

Meaning

  • masculine nounatom

Example

L'atome est la plus petite unité de matière.

The atom is the smallest unit of matter.

Illustration for atome (atom)

More examples

Les atomes se combinent pour former des substances plus grandes.

Atoms combine to form larger substances.

Core concept

A tiny chemical structure with a central nucleus and surrounding electrons that preserves an element's identity.

Similar words

élément: A group of atoms of the same type that forms a chemically distinct substance.
molécule: A chemical structure consisting of two or more bonded atoms.

Definition in French

Particule minimale de la matière qui définit l'identité chimique d'un élément, généralement constituée d'un noyau et d'électrons.

Word origin

French atome comes from Latin atomus, from Greek atomos, meaning indivisible, and later acquired its modern scientific sense.

Usage tips

  • Atome is a masculine countable noun, so standard forms include un atome, l'atome, and des atomes.

Related words

Word lists with this word