A scientist or philosopher who believes that matter and physical phenomena are made of tiny particles or corpuscles.
From 'corpuscular' plus the suffix '-ian,' used to denote a person who holds a particular belief or theory. Popular in 17th and 18th-century scientific philosophy, particularly among followers of Descartes and Newton.
Medieval scientists thought everything was made of earth, air, fire, and water, but corpuscularians like Boyle and Newton revolutionized science by saying 'no—it's all tiny invisible particles arranged differently'—a bold idea that launched modern chemistry and physics as we know them.
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