God particle

Definition

The Higgs boson.

Etymology

Coined by American mathematician and physicist Leon M. Lederman in 1993 in his book The God Particle, the title having been changed at the suggestion of his editor. According to Lederman (page 22), he wanted to call the Higgs boson the Goddamn Particle, "given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing", but his publisher wouldn't let him. So they agreed to call it "The God Particle" as "there is a connection, of sorts" to the Bible and the story of the Tower of Babel in the sense that it appears as if the Higgs boson "has been put there to test and confuse us".

Example Sentences

• "Among other fascinating insights, Penrose explains that the God particle was originally proposed by Peter Higgs as "an ingenious theoretical device, and not necessarily appearing as an actual particle. As a device, it allowed other particles to acquire mass,[…].""
• "The first thing you learn when you ask scientists about the God particle is that it′s bad form to call it that."
• "To his contemporaries, his desperation seemed like a search for the "God particle," something seen as daft, even obstructionist."