quark model: Meaning and Definition of

quark' mod"el

Pronunciation: [key]
— Physics. Physics.
  1. a scheme that explains the quantum numbers of all the baryons and mesons by assuming that baryons are composed of three quarks and mesons of a quark and an antiquark, with different combinations of quark and antiquark flavors giving different sets of quantum numbers.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.