valence

In that picture, a proton has a baryon number of plus one, divided equally among its three main valence quarks.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Physicists first proposed the baryon junction, also called a gluon junction, in the 1970s as a way to describe how gluons connect the valence quarks inside a proton.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

When we talk about something in economic terms, it really doesn’t have much moral valence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2025

It’s supposed to be independent and neutral and the arbiter of disputes that might have a political valence, but ultimately have a correct legal answer.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2025

Egged on by scheming courtiers and generals, relations between Atawallpa and Washkar spent several years swinging through the emotional valence from concealed suspicion to overt hostility.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Spirituality takes on previously unconsidered valences in the canvases of Wally Hedrick and Carlos Villa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

The emotional valences are thus much more complicated this time around, and to accommodate the complexities, the picture is close to three hours long, the longest of the series by far.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2023

For Umrigar, “India” is another word with many valences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2022

Maybe the fans tweeting fraud memes are deeply attuned to other valences of American immigration.

From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2019

Iron differs from the metals so far studied in that it is able to form two series of compounds in which the iron has two different valences.

From An Elementary Study of Chemistry by William McPherson