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átomo

atom

noun AH-toh-moh Less Common
Animals & Nature Environment

Origin: From Greek atomos (indivisible), from a- (not) + tomos (cut).

Usage Note

Átomo carries the written accent on the first syllable, making it a proparoxytone (stress on the antepenultimate syllable)—a common stress-rule exception learners encounter. The adjective is atómico/a (bomba atómica = atomic bomb). The phrase ni un átomo de ('not a shred of') is an idiomatic intensifier.

Examples

"El átomo es la unidad básica de la materia."

Natural Translation

The atom is the basic unit of matter.

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