Definition of particle

The English word "particle" originates from medieval Latin "partecula," meaning "little part" or "fragment." This term gradually evolved into the Middle English "leftel," which referred to small linguistic elements used in grammar, such as prepositions, pronouns, and conjunctions. In the 16th century, the term "particle" slowly replaced "leftel" and began to be used more broadly to describe small, indivisible substances in physics and chemistry. Scientists and philosophers of the time, such as Francis Bacon and John Locke, believed that matter was composed of fundamental particles that could not be further divided. The modern use of "particle" to describe subatomic particles dates back to the late 19th century, when scientists began to understand the structure of atoms. In 1897, J.J. Thomson discovered the electron, the first subatomic particle, and named it a "corpuscle" (Latin for "little body"). The term "particle" began to replace "corpuscle" in the early 20th century as physicists identified more and more subatomic particles with different properties. Today, the word "particle" is used in various scientific fields, including physics, chemistry, and biology, and refers to any small, discrete entity that occupies a specific position or location.