Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1700-1800
Language: French
Origin: molécule, from Latin moles 'mass'

molecule

 noun
     
Related topics: Chemistry
mol‧e‧cule [countable]
HC the smallest unit into which any substance can be divided without losing its own chemical nature, usually consisting of two or more atoms:
The molecules of oxygen gas contain just two atoms.
—molecular adjective:
molecular structure
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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