English
Higgs field
Higgs field comes from English Higgs ‘a surname’.
- English1500–presentHiggs‘a surname’
- EnglishtodayHiggs field
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- English1500–presentHiggs‘a surname’
- EnglishtodayHiggs field
A compound of Higgs ‘a surname’ + field
Proto-Germanic *felþuz ‘field’
Proto-West Germanic *felþu ‘field’
Old English feld ‘field’
Middle English feld ‘field’
English field
The story
From Higgs (‘a surname’) + field; named after British physicist Peter Higgs, who is credited with proposing what is now called the Higgs mechanism.
Every English word from English Higgs
Today it means
noun A theoretical scalar field associated with electroweak symmetry breaking, the quantum of which is the Higgs boson; interaction with this field is hypothesised to give elementary particles their mass.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English Higgs / Higgs field