molecule
Definitions
The smallest particle of a substance that retains its chemical properties, made of two or more atoms.
分子；构成物质并保持其化学性质的最小粒子（由两个或更多原子组成）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin mōlēs (a huge mass) plus a diminutive ending = 'a tiny mass.' This sits on mol's 'mass/bulk' branch, not the 'grind' branch. When scientists needed a name for the smallest lump of a substance, they literally called it 'a little mass.'
Root mol still carries 7 more wordsWhy It Means This
Despite feeling purely scientific, molecule comes from mōlēs, the Latin word for a giant mass — the same root behind demolish. The diminutive ending shrinks that boulder down: a molecule is, etymologically, 'a tiny mass.' The name was coined when scientists needed a word for the smallest unit of matter that still behaves like the substance itself.
Common Collocations
- 1.water molecule水分子
- 2.gas molecule气体分子
- 3.organic molecule有机分子
- 4.molecule of DNADNA 分子
Example Sentences
- 1.
A water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
- 2.
Even a single drop of water contains billions of molecules.
- 3.
The drug works by binding to a specific molecule on the cell surface.