An adatom is an atom

Atom

The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...

 that lies on a crystal surface, and can be thought of as the opposite of a surface vacancy. This term is used in surface chemistry, when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness. The word is a contraction of "adsorbed

Adsorption

Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions, biomolecules or molecules of gas, liquid, or dissolved solids to a surface. This process creates a film of the adsorbate on the surface of the adsorbent. It differs from absorption, in which a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid...

 atom". A single atom, cluster of atoms, or a molecule or cluster of molecules may all be referred to by the general term "adparticle

Adparticle

An adparticle is an atom, molecule, or cluster of atoms or molecules that lies on a crystal surface. The term is used in surface chemistry. The word is a contraction of "adsorbed particle". An adparticle that is a single atom may be referred to as an "adatom"....

". This is often a thermodynamically unfavorable state. However, cases such as graphene

Graphene

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon, whose structure is one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. The term graphene was coined as a combination of graphite and the suffix -ene by Hanns-Peter Boehm, who described single-layer...

may provide counter-examples.