nuclei JUST WRITTEN FOR YOU
/ˈnjuː.kli.aɪ/ · nu·cle·i
noun
- The core or central part of something around which other elements are assembled. The library’s rare‑book collection formed the nucleus of the new research center.
- An initial part or version that will receive additions or expansions. The prototype served as the nucleus for a whole line of consumer gadgets.
- The massive, positively charged central part of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons. Scientists used a particle accelerator to probe the structure of atomic nuclei.
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Did you know? The word ‘nucleus’ was first used in a biological context by Robert Brown in 1831, but its atomic meaning was popularized by Ernest Rutherford’s 1911 gold‑foil experiment.