Neutrinos

/njuːˈtriːnoʊz/ noun

Definition

Tiny, nearly massless particles that are produced by nuclear reactions in stars and pass through matter almost without interacting with it.

Etymology

Italian, diminutive of 'neutrone' (neutron), coined by physicist Enrico Fermi in 1933. The suffix '-ino' means 'little' in Italian, reflecting the particle's incredibly small size.

Kelly Says

Billions of neutrinos pass through your body every second from the sun, yet you'll never feel them—they're so elusive that physicists had to build massive underground detectors just to catch a few!

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