quantum chromodynamics
noun
plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: a theory of fundamental particles based on the assumption that quarks are distinguished by differences in color (see color entry 1 sense 15) and are held together (as in hadrons) by an exchange of gluons
Quantum chromodynamics equations describe the characteristics and behavior of quarks and the peculiar force that binds different quarks and antiquarks together to create protons, neutrons, and other subatomic particles known as hadrons.—
I. Peterson
I. PetersonExamples of quantum chromodynamics in a Sentence
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The quantum field theory describing it, called quantum chromodynamics, or QCD, is mathematically much more complex than the theory of the electromagnetic field.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
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Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
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“Quantum chromodynamics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quantum%20chromodynamics. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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