Noun

(en noun)

A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something.

(linguistics, sensu lato) A part of speech which can not be declined, an adverb, preposition, conjunction or interjection

* 1844 , E. A. Andrews: First Lessions in Latin; or Introduction to Andrews and Stoddard's Latin Grammar. (6th edition, Boston), p.91 ( at books.google)

322. The parts of speech which are neither declined nor conjugated, are called by the general name of particles . 323. They are adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

* 1894 (2008), B. L. Gildersleeve & G. Lodge: Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar (reprint of the 3rd edition by Dover, 2008), p.9. ( at books.google)

The Parts of Speech are the Noun (Substantive and Adjective), the Pronoun, the Verb, and the Particles (Adverb, Preposition, and Conjunction)[.]

(linguistics, sensu stricto) A word that has a particular grammatical function but does not obviously belong to any particular part of speech, such as the word to in English infinitives or O as the vocative particle.

* {{quote-web

, date = 1965-06-04 , author = Shigeyuki Kuroda , title = Generative grammatical studies in the Japanese language , site = DSpace@MIT , url = http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/13006 , accessdate = 2014-02-24 , page = 38 }}

In English there is no grammatical device to differentiate predicational judgments from nonpredicational descriptions. This distinction does cast a shadow on the grammatical sphere to some extent, but recognition of it must generally be made in semantic terms. It is maintained here that in Japanese, on the other hand, the distinction is grammatically realized through the use of the two particles wa and ga.

*

Traditional grammar typically recog-
nises a number of further categories: for example, in his Reference Book of
Terms in Traditional Grammar for Language Students'', Simpson (1982) posits
two additional word-level categories which he refers to as ''Particle'', and
''Conjunction''. Particles include the italicised words in (58) below:
(58) (a)      He put his hat ''on''
       (b)      If you pull too hard, the handle will come ''off''
       (c)      He was leaning too far over the side, and fell ''out''
       (d)      He went ''up to see the manager

(physics) Any of various physical objects making up the constituent parts of an atom; an elementary particle or subatomic particle.

* 2011 , & Jeff Forshaw, The Quantum Universe , Allen Lane 2011, p. 55:

What, he asked himself, does quantum theory have to say about the familiar properties of particles such as position?

*{{quote-magazine, year=2012, month=March-April

, author=(Jeremy Bernstein) , title=A Palette of Particles , volume=100, issue=2, page=146 , magazine=(American Scientist) citation , passage=The physics of elementary particles' in the 20th century was distinguished by the observation of ' particles whose existence had been predicted by theorists sometimes decades earlier.}}

Noun

(en noun)

A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.

The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur.

A stain or disfiguring mark.

I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out.

A pimple, papule or pustule.

That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin.

I think she's got chicken pox; she's covered in spots .

A small, unspecified amount or quantity.

Would you like to come round on Sunday for a spot of lunch?

(slang, US) A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars.

Here's the twenty bucks I owe you, a ten spot''' and two five '''spots .

A location or area.

I like to eat lunch in a pleasant spot outside.

For our anniversary we went back to the same spot where we first met.

* Milton

That spot to which I point is Paradise.

* Wordsworth

"A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is cursed."

* 2011 , Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15210221.stm]

Yachvilli made it 6-0 with a second sweet strike from 45 metres after Matt Stevens was penalised for collapsing a scrum, and then slid another penalty just wide from the same spot .

A parking space.

*

(sports) An official determination of placement.

The fans were very unhappy with the referee's spot of the ball.

A bright lamp; a spotlight.

(US, advertising) A brief advertisement or program segment on television.

Did you see the spot on the news about the shoelace factory?

Difficult situation; predicament

She was in a real spot when she ran into her separated husband while on a date.

(gymnastics, dance, weightlifting) One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter

(soccer) penalty spot

* {{quote-news

, year=2011 , date=January 8 , author=Chris Bevan , title=Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot . }}

The act of spotting or noticing something.

- You've misspelled "terrapin" here.

''- Whoops. Good spot .

A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak.

A food fish (Liostomus xanthurus ) of the Atlantic coast of the United States, with a black spot behind the shoulders and fifteen oblique dark bars on the sides.

The southern redfish, or red horse, which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail.

(in the plural, brokers' slang, dated) Commodities, such as merchandise and cotton, sold for immediate delivery.

An autosoliton.