Quick Scoop

Meson most commonly refers to a subatomic particle made of a quark and an antiquark, bound together by the strong force. It is also the name of a build system used by programmers, so the meaning depends on context.

What it means

  • In physics: a meson is a hadron composed of one quark and one antiquark, such as pions and kaons.
  • In software: Meson is a high-productivity build system designed to help programmers configure and build projects efficiently.
  • In crypto/news contexts: “Meson” can also refer to Meson Network , a cryptocurrency project, which has recent market coverage online.

Quick tip

If you saw the word in a science class, it almost certainly means the particle. If you saw it in a developer forum or GitHub discussion, it likely means the build system.

If you want, I can also explain meson in physics or meson build system in a simpler 1-minute version.