Dictionary

quantum en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈkwɑntəm/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• [ˈkwɔ̟ntəm] (New-Zealand)
• /ˈkwɒntəm/ (Canada)
• /ˈkwɒntəm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• (US) audio
• /kwŏn′təm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈkʰwɑ̃ɾ̃ə̃m] common flapped realization
• /ˈkwɔntəm/ (Australia)
• [ˈkʰwɑ̃ntʰə̃m] enunciated

Etymology

From Late Latin quantum, noun use of neuter form of Latin quantus (“how much”).

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Of a change, sudden or discrete, without intermediate stages.
2. (informal, not-comparable) Of a change, significant.
3. (not-comparable) Involving quanta, quantum mechanics or other aspects of quantum physics.
   • Some of the most beautiful and thus appealing physical theories, including quantum electrodynamics and quantum gravity, have been dogged for decades by infinities that erupt when theorists try to prod their calculations into new domains. Getting rid of these nagging infinities has probably occupied far more effort than was spent in originating the theories. 2012 January 14, Michael Riordan, “Tackling Infinity”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 19 Jun 2017, page 86:
4. (not-comparable) Involving quanta, quantum mechanics or other aspects of quantum physics. ▸ Relating to a quantum computer.

Antonyms

classical · classical

Deriveds

quantum onion · quantum hadrodynamics · quantum electrodynamics · hyperquantum · quantum harmonic oscillator · quantum supremacy · quantum channel · quantum chromodynamics · quantum gravitation · quantum phase transition · magnetic quantum number · quantum brain · quabla operator · prequantum · quantum catalyst · quantum yield · quantum tomography · orbital quantum number · quantum solid · wantum · quantumness · quantum anomaly · quantum evolution · quantum eraser · quantum effect device · quantum statistical mechanics · quantumlike · quantum state · spin quantum number · quantum mysticism · quantum computation · quantumly · quantum efficiency · quantum wire · quantum mechanical · semiquantum · quantum tunnel · quantum theory · quantum indeterminacy · quantum teleportation · quantum limit · ⇒ qubit · quantum jump · quantum Zeno effect · quantum network · principal quantum number · quantum entanglement · quantum rizzics · quantum acoustics · quantum gauge theory · quantum cloning · quantum universe · quantum operation · loop quantum gravity · quantum sort · quantum processing unit · quantum vibration · quantize · quantum decoherence · quantum leap · quantum dense coding · quantum cryptography · quantum source · quantum game theory · quantum measurement problem · quantum fluctuation · quantum level · quantum process tomography · quanton · superquantum · subquantum · quantum computer · quantum sufficit · quantum chemistry · quantum optics · quantum psychology · quantum mechanics · quantum neural network · quantum biology · quantum gravity · quantum chaos · quantum tunnelling · quantum soup · quantum Hall effect · quantum randomness · quantum field theory · quantum gyroscope · quantum Internet · quantum bogodynamics · quantum scalar field · quantum suicide · quantum spin · quantum waveform generator · quantum computing · quantum fingerprinting · quantum dot · qudit · quantum information science · azimuthal quantum number · quantum circuit · ⇒ quantum spin liquid · quantum biophysics · qubyte · ⇒ qu- · quantum number · quantum unit of spin · quantum logic gate · nonquantum · quantum gate · quantum cohomology · quantum heterostructure · cavity quantum electrodynamics · stoquastic · quantum history · quantum logic · quantum-mechanically · quantum brain dynamics · quantum operator · quantum calculus · quantum darwinism · quantum coherence · quantum byte · quantum virtual machine · quantum immortality · quantum register · quantum imaging · quantum geometry · quantum field · quantum cascade laser · quantum-mechanical · quantum physics · quantum group · quantum superposition · quantum inequality · quantum electrochemistry · quantum discord · quantum volume · quantum information theory · quantum solvent · ultraquantum · quantum flavordynamics · quantum graphity · quantum multiverse · quantum foam · quantum link · quantum valebat · quantum information · quantum programming · quantum electronics · quantum ferrofluid · quantum clock · quantum algorithm · quantum degeneracy · quantum ontology · quantum well · quantum-entangled · quantum bit · quantum hydrodynamics

Descendants

quantum · quantum

Translations (30)

ru значи́тельный (significant (of a change)) · cmn 量子 (significant (of a change)) · ja 量子 (involving quanta) · bg ква́нтов (involving quanta) · ru суще́ственный (significant (of a change)) · it quantistico (involving quanta) · de Quanten- (involving quanta) · eo kvantuma (involving quanta) · ja 量子 (significant (of a change)) · pl kwantowy (involving quanta) · fi määrällinen (significant (of a change)) · pt quântico (involving quanta) · it quantico (involving quanta) · sv kvant- (involving quanta) · ru ква́нтовый (involving quanta) · hy քվանտային (involving quanta) · uk ква́нтовий (involving quanta) · es quántico (involving quanta) · pl kwantowe (involving quanta) · nl kwantum- (involving quanta) · es cuántico (involving quanta) · vo kvantik (involving quanta) · pl kwantowa (involving quanta) · fi kvantti- (involving quanta) · fi suuri (significant (of a change)) · fr quantique (involving quanta) · cmn 量子 (involving quanta) · kk кванттық (involving quanta) · fi merkittävä (significant (of a change)) · vi lượng tử (involving quanta)

quantum en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkwɑntəm/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• [ˈkwɔ̟ntəm] (New-Zealand)
• /ˈkwɒntəm/ (Canada)
• /ˈkwɒntəm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• (US) audio
• /kwŏn′təm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈkʰwɑ̃ɾ̃ə̃m] common flapped realization
• /ˈkwɔntəm/ (Australia)
• [ˈkʰwɑ̃ntʰə̃m] enunciated

Etymology

From Late Latin quantum, noun use of neuter form of Latin quantus (“how much”).

Meanings

1. (South-Asia, countable, uncountable) The total amount of something; quantity.
   • Otherwise I will have given the lie to my maxim that whether you work eight or twenty hours, the quantum of work that gets done on a normal day is the same. 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 375:
   • The reader will perhaps be curious to know the quantum of this present, but we cannot satisfy his curiosity. 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society, published 1973, page 416:
   • The Congress's core ministerial panel on Friday gave its green signal to raising motor fuel prices but the quantum of increase emerged as a hitch. 2008 May 21, The Times of India:
   • A certain quantum of power must always exist in the community, in some hands, and under some appellation. 1790, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, Oxford, published 2009, page 142:
2. (South-Asia, countable, uncountable) The total amount of something; quantity. ▸ The amount of compensation awarded to a successful party in a lawsuit.
3. (South-Asia, countable, uncountable) The total amount of something; quantity. ▸ The length or magnitude of the sentence handed down to someone who has been found guilty of a crime.
4. (countable, uncountable) The amount or quantity observably present, or available.
   • Each man has only a quantum of compassion, he argued, and mine is used up for the day. 1979, John Le Carré, Smiley's People, Folio Society, published 2010, page 96:
   • The dream of flying, according to Strümpell, is the appropriate image used by the psyche to interpret the quantum of stimulus [translating Reizquantum] proceeding from the rise and fall of the lungs when the cutaneous sensation of the thorax has simultaneously sunk into unconsciousness. 1999, Sigmund Freud, translated by Joyce Crick, The Interpretation of Dreams, Oxford, published 2008, page 34:
5. (countable, uncountable) The smallest possible, and therefore indivisible, unit of a given quantity or quantifiable phenomenon.
   • The quantum of light energy was later called a photon. 2002, David C Cassidy et al., Understanding Physics, Birkhauser, page 602:
6. (countable, uncountable) The amount of time allocated for a thread to perform its work in a multithreaded environment.
7. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable) Ellipsis of quantum computing.
   alt of quantum computing
   • Developing for quantum has never been more accessible.
8. (countable, uncountable) The minimum dose of a pathogen required to cause an infection.
9. (countable, uncountable) Amount of goods produced or demanded.
10. (countable, uncountable) A definite portion of a manifoldness, limited by a mark or by a boundary.
    • Defined parts of a manifoldness are called Quanta 1882, William Kingdon Clifford, Mathematical Papers:

Forms

Deriveds

quantum of action · quantum singularity · quantum state tomography · quantize · time quantum · post-quantum · blood quantum · quantum interference · quantum-proof · quantum of Indian blood · quantum-resistant · quantum satis · quantum weirdness · quantum-safe · quantum financial system · quantum bogosort

Translations (65)

nl kwantiteit (quantity) · ru коли́чество (quantity) · id kuantitas (quantity) · hy քվանտ (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · vi khối lượng (quantity) · vi số lượng (quantity) · es quantum (quantity) · pt quantum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · he קְוַנְט (quantity) · es cuanto (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · cmn 量 (quantity) · es cantidad (quantity) · ka კვანტა (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · he קְוַנְט (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · ja 量 (quantity) · vi lượng (quantity) · sv kvantum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · pt quantidade (quantity) · fi määrä (quantity) · hu kvantum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · vo kvant (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · pl ilość (quantity) · ar كَمّ (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · fa کوانتم (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · de Quant (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · fr quantité (quantity) · af hoeveelheid (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · tl damo (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · ka კვანტი (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · bg количество (quantity) · el κβάντο (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · es quantum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · tr kuantum (quantity) · ga candam (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · ca quantitat (quantity) · yue 量子 (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · bg сума (quantity) · ru квант (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · fi kvantti (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · ka რაოდენობა (quantity) · af hoeveelheid (quantity) · vi lượng tử (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · fr quantum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · es quántum (quantity) · es quanto (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · th จำนวน (quantity) · bg квант (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · ko 양자 (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · de Quantum (quantity) · cmn 量子 (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · es quántum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · uk квант (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · id kuantum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · eu kuantu (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · th ควอนตัม (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · ms kuantiti (quantity) · tr nicem (quantity) · sv kvantitet (quantity) · ca quàntum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · hu mennyiség (quantity) · ja 量子 (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · pl kwant (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · de Minimum (indivisible unit of a given quantity) · de Menge (quantity) · ms kuantum (indivisible unit of a given quantity)