strangeness

Etymology

From Middle English straungenesse; equivalent to strange + -ness.

noun

1. (uncountable) The state or quality of being strange, odd or weird.
2. (countable) The product or result of being strange.
3. (particle physics) One of the quantum numbers of subatomic particles, depending upon the relative number of strange quarks and anti-strange quarks.
   Coordinate term: charm
   Mesons which combine the charmed quark with the up or down antiquarks are denoted the D mesons. These mesons carry explicit charm (i.e. have a non-zero charm quantum number), just as the K mesons carry strangeness. 2020, James E. Dodd, Ben Gripaios, The Ideas of Particle Physics, Cambridge University Press, page 173