A tiny negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom. Electrons are responsible for electricity and chemical bonding.
Coined in the late 19th century from 'electric' plus the suffix '-on' used for particles. 'Electric' comes from Greek 'ēlektron' meaning 'amber.' The name reflects the link between early electricity experiments and the discovery of subatomic particles.
The word 'electron' is less than 150 years old, but electrons themselves have been around since the beginning of the universe. The name still remembers amber, a tree resin rubbed in ancient times to make static crackles. So a cutting-edge physics term is secretly carrying a souvenir from prehistoric forests.
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