electron

The word “electron” means a tiny particle with a negative electric charge that orbits the nucleus of an atom; the flow of electrons through a conductor is what we call electricity. In plain terms, one of the tiny negatively-charged particles that move around the center of an atom and carry electric current.

“Electron” is pronounced ih-LEHK-tron (/ɪˈlɛk.tɹɑn/ in IPA).

Here is “electron” used in a sentence: “Electrons jump between atoms to carry an electric current through a wire.”

“Electron” is a noun.

The word “electron” dates back to around 1891. Coined around 1891 by physicist George Stoney, blending "electric" and "ion" to name the unit of electric charge; the word later came to mean the particle itself.

“Electron” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

An electron carries a negative electric charge and orbits the nucleus of an atom, while a proton carries a positive charge and sits inside the nucleus itself. Electrons are also far lighter than protons, and it is the movement of electrons, not protons, that produces electric current.

Electricity is essentially the movement of electrons through a conductor, such as a copper wire. When electrons flow in a consistent direction through the material, that flow of charge is what we experience and measure as electric current.

Electrons do orbit the nucleus of an atom, though the comparison to planets is a simplification used for basic explanation. In reality their behavior is governed by more complex physics, but describing them as orbiting the nucleus is a standard and useful shorthand.