molecule
The smallest particle of a specific element or compound that retains the chemical properties of that element or compound; two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.
A kind of
- unit
Kinds of molecule
- coenzyme
- protein molecule
Related words
- cell adhesion molecule
- cell-adhesion molecule
- fuel molecule
- giant molecule
- gram molecule
- Rydberg molecule
- single-molecule magnet
- small molecule drug
- polycule
- antimolecule
- astromolecule
- bimolecule
Word history
From Latin "moles" (a mass).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “molecule” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.