Baryon

/ˈbæriɒn/ noun

Definition

A class of heavy subatomic particles made of three quarks, including protons and neutrons that form the nucleus of atoms.

Etymology

From Greek 'barys' (heavy) + '-on' (particle suffix). Created in the 1950s by physicists studying particle physics who needed a term for the heavier particles they were discovering.

Kelly Says

Your body is made of baryons—literally! The protons and neutrons in every atom of your body are baryons, making them perhaps the most important particles in the entire universe for creating matter as we know it.

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