quantum
/ˈkwɑɾ̃əm/ · quan·tum
noun
- The total amount of something; quantity. The quantum of water in the bottle was just enough for a single drink.
- The amount or quantity observably present, or available. The quantum of sunlight on a cloudy day was limited.
- The smallest possible, and therefore indivisible, unit of a given quantity or quantifiable phenomenon. In physics, the quantum of energy is the smallest unit of energy that can be transferred or exchanged.
adjective
- Of a change, sudden or discrete, without intermediate stages. The quantum leap in technology revolutionized the industry.
- Of a change, significant. The quantum improvement in the new design made it a game-changer.
- Involving quanta, quantum mechanics or other aspects of quantum physics. The quantum physicist spent years studying the behavior of subatomic particles.
Did you know? The term 'quantum leap' was first coined by physicist Richard Feynman in the 1940s to describe a sudden, discrete change in energy levels, and has since become a common metaphor for a significant or revolutionary change.