protons

Noun

proton (plural protons)

1. (particle) A positively charged subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and determining the atomic number of an element, composed of two up quarks and a down quark.
   • The dance of the electrons about the prota, each electron and each proton consisting of a series of waves occupying the whole of the limited universe and obeying the laws of nature as they pass, is known to all.1931, C[harles] G[eorge] Crump, The Red King Dreams, 1946 - 1948, 24 Russell Square: Faber & Faber Limited, page 302

   Synonyms:

   p

   1. (particle) The atomic nucleus of protium (hydrogen-1)
2. (obsolete) Synonym of primordium.
   • It is a well authenticated fact that, in the case of section of a peripheral nerve, the nuclei of the sheath of Schwann pass to the centre of the lumen and form the protoplasmic prota of the segments of the new nerve[…]. From studies of the development of the olfactory organs in reptiles, as...1898 July, “Contributed Articles”, in C[larence] L[uther] Herrick, editor, The Journal of Comparative Neurology: A Quarterly Periodical Devoted to the Comparative Study of the Nervous System, volume...

   Synonyms:

   primordium