physics en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈfɪz.ɪks/
- (US) audio
Etymology
1580s; from physic (see also -ics), from Middle English phisik, from Old French fisike (“natural science, art of healing”), from Latin physica (“study of nature”), from Ancient Greek φυσική (phusikḗ), feminine singular of φυσικός (phusikós, “natural; physical”), from Ancient Greek φύσις (phúsis, “origin; nature, property”), from Ancient Greek φύω (phúō, “produce; bear; grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear, become, rise up”).
Meanings
-
(form-of, plural, plural-only, uncountable) plural of physic
form of physic
-
(plural, plural-only, uncountable) The branch of science concerned with the study of the properties and interactions of space, time, matter and energy.
The physics of elementary particles in the 20th century was distinguished by the observation of particles whose existence had been predicted by theorists sometimes decades earlier.
2012 March 14, Jeremy Bernstein, “A Palette of Particles”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 146:Daniel Hajas is a physics undergraduate at Sussex and has been blind since he was 16. He first heard about Giles and the SSDs when Giles was looking for blind students to test the devices.
2017 October 10, Vanessa Potter, “My sudden synesthesia: how I went blind and started hearing colors”, in CNN, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2025:Newtonian physics was extended by Einstein to explain the effects of travelling near the speed of light; quantum physics extends it to account for the behaviour of atoms.
An analysis of media reports can correspondingly cast some light not only on how much physics is being reported, but on what branches of physics attract most popular attention.
1994, A.J Meadows, M.M Hancock-Beaulieu, editors, Front Page Physics: A Century of Physics in the News, page 3:
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(plural, plural-only, uncountable) The physical aspects of a phenomenon or a system, especially those examined or studied scientifically.
The physics of car crashes would not let Tom Cruise walk away like that.
An analysis of media reports can correspondingly cast some light not only on how much physics is being reported, but on what branches of physics attract most popular attention.
1994, A.J Meadows, M.M Hancock-Beaulieu, editors, Front Page Physics: A Century of Physics in the News, page 3:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| physicks | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
metaphysics · zoophysics · pataphysics · sociophysics · nanophysics · tribophysics · physics-ly · planetophysics · atom physics · oncophysics · selenophysics · atomic physics · agrophysics · metametaphysics · xenophysics · robophysics · protophysics · cryophysics · social physics · jiggle physics · physics gun · health physics · physics envy · physics package · ragdoll physics · multiphysics · hydrophysics · iatrophysics · thermophysics · paraphysics · cytophysics · condensed matter physics · electrophysics · conceptual physics · physicsy · areophysics
Descendants
Holonyms
Hyponyms
astrophysics · neurophysics · ecophysics · particle physics · thermodynamics · spacetime physics · soil physics · aerophysics · radiophysics · microphysics · plasma physics · radiation physics · petrophysics · psychophysics · hyperphysics · attophysics · radiobiophysics · cartoon physics · chemical physics · plasmaphysics · physical chemistry · photophysics · modern physics · macrophysics · classical physics · metaphysics · econophysics · biophysics · quantum physics · theoretical physics · tectonophysics · nuclear physics · optics · heliophysics · geophysics · gastrophysics · solid-state physics
Meronyms
optics · cosmology · classical mechanics · astrophysics · astronomy · quantum mechanics · statistical mechanics · particle physics · thermodynamics · biophysics · mechanics
Relateds
trajectory · space · pressure · energy · mass · potential · wave · acceleration · particle · force · motion · physical · density · matter · velocity · temperature · time · physicist
Synonyms
Translations (120)
th ฟิสิกส์ (branch of science) · nn fysikk (branch of science) · ckb فیزیا (branch of science) · mi mātai ahupūngao (branch of science) · ne भौतिक शास्त्र (branch of science) · dz དངོས་ཁམས་རིག་པ (branch of science) · tl sugnayan (branch of science) · ur طبیعیات (branch of science) · sl fizika (branch of science) · wa fizike (branch of science) · he פִֿיזִיקָה (branch of science) · mn физик (branch of science) · sh физика (branch of science) · uk фі́зика (branch of science) · da fysik (branch of science) · gv fishag (branch of science) · ug فىزىكا (branch of science) · lo ວັດຖຸວິທະຍາ (branch of science) · si භෞතික විද්යාව (branch of science) · be фі́зіка (branch of science) · yue 物理學 /物理学 (branch of science) · vi vật lý học (branch of science) · hi भौतिक शास्त्र (branch of science) · is eðlisfræði (branch of science) · bn পদার্থবিজ্ঞান (branch of science) · tk fizika (branch of science) · rue фі́зіка (branch of science) · fr physique (branch of science) · vro füüsiga (branch of science) · ar فِيزِيقَا (branch of science) · cmn 物理學 /物理学 (branch of science) · kk физика (branch of science) · ia physica (branch of science) · hi भौतिकी (branch of science) · io fiziko (branch of science) · ts Physical science (branch of science) · lt fizika (branch of science) · lo ຟີຊິກ (branch of science) · oc fisica (branch of science) · hu fizika (branch of science) · ta பௌதிகம் (branch of science) · id fisika (branch of science) · ar فِيزِيَاء (branch of science) · km រូបសាស្ត្រ (branch of science) · kn ಭೌತಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ (branch of science) · km រូបវិទ្យា (branch of science) · ckb فیزیک (branch of science) · mk физика (branch of science) · arz فيزيا (branch of science) · la physica (branch of science) · eu fisika (branch of science) · ca física (branch of science) · fo alisfrøði (branch of science) · pl fizyka (branch of science) · scn fìsica (branch of science) · ms fizik (branch of science) · sq fizikë (branch of science) · bo དངོས་ཁམས་རིག་པ (branch of science) · es física (branch of science) · gu ભૌતિકવિજ્ઞાન (branch of science) · pih fisiks (branch of science) · ka ფიზიკა (branch of science) · ht fizik (branch of science) · ko 물리학 (branch of science) · tl pisika (branch of science) · tr fizik (branch of science) · ta இயற்பியல் (branch of science) · am ፊዚክስ (branch of science) · br naturoniezh (branch of science) · eo fiziko (branch of science) · ro fizică (branch of science) · pa ਭੌਤਿਕ ਵਿਗਿਆਨ (branch of science) · tg физика (branch of science) · gl física (branch of science) · cs fyzika (branch of science) · yi פֿיזיק (branch of science) · et füüsika (branch of science) · hy ֆիզիկա (branch of science) · de Physik (branch of science) · ko 물리 (branch of science) · it fisica (branch of science) · sv fysik (branch of science) · sh fizika (branch of science) · tr doğam (doğa kuramı) (branch of science) · kmr fizîk (branch of science) · ky физика (branch of science) · dv ފީޒިޔާއީ އިލްމު (branch of science) · ps فزيک (branch of science) · nb fysikk (branch of science) · shn ပၢႆးႁၢင်ႈ (branch of science) · bn পদার্থবিদ্যা (branch of science) · sco pheesics (branch of science) · sk fyzika (branch of science) · cy ffiseg (branch of science) · nl natuurkunde (branch of science) · uz fizika (branch of science) · fi fysiikka (branch of science) · mr भौतिकशास्त्र (branch of science) · lv fizika (branch of science) · hak 物理學 /物理学 (branch of science) · acw فيزيا (branch of science) · af fisika (branch of science) · az fizika (branch of science) · nan-hbl 物理學 /物理学 (branch of science) · pt física (branch of science) · ga fisic (branch of science) · dsb fyzika (branch of science) · nl fysica (branch of science) · el φυσική (branch of science) · ja 物理学 (branch of science) · sw fizikia (branch of science) · lo ວັດຖຸສາດ (branch of science) · tl liknayan (branch of science) · bg фи́зика (branch of science) · fa فیزیک (branch of science) · my ရူပဗေဒ (branch of science) · ast física (branch of science) · mt fiżika (branch of science) · gu ફિઝીક્સ (branch of science) · ru фи́зика (branch of science)