Definition of "ion" []

• An atom or a group of atoms that has acquired a net electric charge by gaining or losing one or more electrons. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Charcoal has to be re-activated but the sliver-ion is woven into the fabric."
• "Back-formations are frequently made by dropping - tion or - ion from a noun, and adding - e when appropriate, to form a new verb, such as donate from donation."
• "In such compounds a metal ion is bound not to a single carbon atom but is "sandwiched" between two aromatic organic molecules."