An atom that is added to a surface, typically in chemistry or materials science when studying how particles attach to solid surfaces.
From the prefix 'ad-' meaning 'toward' or 'added to,' combined with 'atom' from Greek 'atomos' meaning indivisible; created as scientific terminology in the 20th century for surface chemistry.
Scientists needed a specific word for atoms that stick to surfaces differently than atoms in the bulk material—it's one of those wonderfully precise technical terms that reveals how chemistry thinks about the edges of things.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.