nucleon

/ˌnukliəˈɑn/

Other forms: nucleons

Definitions of nucleon

1. noun

   a constituent (proton or neutron) of an atomic nucleus
   types:

   antineutron

   the antiparticle of a neutron

   antiproton

   an unstable negatively charged proton; the antiparticle of a proton

   neutron

   a subatomic particle with 0 charge and mass about equal to a proton; enters into the structure of the atomic nucleus

   proton

   a stable particle with positive charge equal to the negative charge of an electron

   hydrogen ion

   a positively charged atom of hydrogen; that is to say, a normal hydrogen atomic nucleus

   type of:

   baryon, heavy particle

   any of the elementary particles having a mass equal to or greater than that of a proton and that participate in strong interactions; a hadron with a baryon number of +1