Check out new words added to


[fur-mee-on] /ˈfɜr miˌɒn/
noun, Physics.
any particle that obeys the exclusion principle and Fermi-Dirac statistics; fermions have spins that are half an odd integer: 1/2, 3/2, 5/2, ….
Origin of fermion
1945-50; fermi + (mes)on
Related forms
fermionic, adjective Unabridged
Cite This Source
Examples from the web for fermion
  • The dude doesn't even know the difference between a ghost field and a fermion, not to mention the other bizarre statements.
  • At normal temperatures, the difference between boson atoms and fermion atoms isn't visible.
  • Or there can't be the right gauge group with the right fermion spectrum.
  • By definition, no fermion can be in exactly the same state as another fermion.
  • In addition, whereas no fermion can be in exactly the same state as another fermion, bosons have no such restrictions.
  • For other decay channels, not into fermion pairs, the dependence is typically more complicated.
  • Perturbative corrections to staggered fermion lattice operators.
British Dictionary definitions for fermion


any of a group of elementary particles, such as a nucleon, that has half-integral spin and obeys Fermi-Dirac statistics Compare boson
Word Origin
C20: named after Enrico Fermi; see -on
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Cite This Source
fermion in Science
  (fûr'mē-ŏn', fěr'-)   
An elementary or composite particle, such as an electron, quark, or proton, whose spin is an integer multiple of 1/2 . Fermions act on each other by exchanging bosons and are subject to the Pauli exclusion principle, which requires that no two fermions be in the same quantum state. Fermions are named after the physicist Enrico Fermi, who along with Paul Dirac developed quantum statistical models of their behavior. Compare boson.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Cite This Source

Word of the Day

Difficulty index for fermion

Some English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for fermion

Scrabble Words With Friends