Atomiliste

Atomiliste is a term used to describe adherents of atomism, the philosophical and scientific doctrine that matter is composed of indivisible units called atoms and the void in which they move. The word can appear in multilingual or historical texts as a direct translation of “atomist” into languages that form the -iste agent suffix. In English, the standard term is atomist or atomic theorist, while atomiliste is rare and typically encountered in cross-cultural discussions or philological contexts.

Origin and scope: Atomism originated in ancient Greece with Leucippus and Democritus, who proposed that all substances arise from combinations of unseen atoms in a void. The idea influenced later schools, including Epicureanism and Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things. During the medieval and early modern periods, scholars engaged with atomist ideas, contributing to the development of a modern atomic theory that underpins chemistry and physics.

Contemporary usage: Today, atomiliste is not a common term in scientific literature. It may appear in linguistic discussions, translations, or as a stylistic choice in encyclopedic writing when discussing the concept of atomism and its historical adherents.

See also: Atomism; Atomic theory; Leucippus; Democritus; John Dalton.