A particle is a very small piece of something, often so tiny it can only be seen with special tools. In physics, it can mean the smallest units of matter or energy, like atoms or electrons.
From Latin 'particula', a diminutive of 'pars' meaning 'part', so it literally means 'a tiny part'. It has been used in science and grammar to describe very small units.
The word 'particle' is just 'little part' in Latin disguise, but in physics that 'little part' can be both a particle and a wave at the same time. Language stayed simple while the science got weird.
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