Dictionary

nanoparticle en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek νᾶνος (nânos)bor. Latin nānusbor. English nano- Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *pérh₃tis? Proto-Italic *partis Latin pars Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -cula Latin particula Middle French particule English particle English nanoparticle From nano- + particle.

Meanings

1. Any microscopic particle less than about 100 nanometers (nm) in diameter.
   • The high surface area of a nanoparticle relative to its weight and volume makes it behave differently from larger masses of the same material. 2012 May 22, Jacy Meyer, “To Czech Industry, Everything Is Nano”, in The International Herald Tribune, →ISSN, archived from the original on 10 Dec 2020:
   • Nanoparticles of various sorts are already found in products like sunscreen, paint and inkjet paper. More exotic varieties offer promise in medicine for sensitive diagnostic tests and novel treatments: the detection of Alzheimer's disease by finding a protein in spinal fluid, for instance, or nanoparticles that heat up and kill cancer cells. 2005 February 22, Kenneth Chang, “Tiny Is Beautiful: Translating 'Nano' Into Practical”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 03 Feb 2021:

Forms

Deriveds

bionanoparticle · glyconanoparticle · immunonanoparticle

Relateds

nanotechnology · ultrafine particle · quantum dot

Translations (12)

de Nanopartikel (microscopic particle) · pt nanopartícula (microscopic particle) · pl nanocząstka (microscopic particle) · ro nanoparticulă (microscopic particle) · ru наночасти́ца (microscopic particle) · hy նանոմասնիկ (microscopic particle) · es nanopartícula (microscopic particle) · it nanoparticella (microscopic particle) · gl nanopartícula (microscopic particle) · el νανοσωματίδιο (microscopic particle) · de Nanoteilchen (microscopic particle) · fr nanoparticule (microscopic particle)