muon

noun

mu·​on ˈmyü-ˌän 

: an unstable lepton that is common in the cosmic radiation near the earth's surface, has a mass about 207 times the mass of the electron, and exists in negative and positive forms

muonic

myü-ˈä-nik 

adjective

Examples of muon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Specifically, the neutrino bumped into some matter and created another type of tiny particle called a muon, which in turn set off a glowing wave of blue photons that the detector could see. —Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025

While neutrinos remain extremely elusive, muons are both easier to detect and far better understood. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 12 Feb. 2025

The neutrino bashed into a water molecule outside the detector, creating a burst of particles, including a high-energy muon—a type of subatomic particle that’s similar to an electron but 200 times heavier. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2025

Modeling the signals received by the detectors, the researchers estimate that the muon came in with an energy of between 60 and 230 PeV. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

contraction of earlier mu-meson, from mu

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above