Adjacent Words

polonium definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor [syn: polonium, Po, atomic number 84]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: New Latin, from Medieval Latin Polonia Date: 1898 a radioactive metallic element that is similar chemically to tellurium and bismuth, occurs especially in pitchblende and radium-lead residues, and emits an alpha particle to form an isotope of lead — see element table

Dictionary of the Elements

polonium
Symbol: Po
Atomic number: 84
Atomic weight: (210)
Rare radioactive metallic element, belongs to group 16 of the periodic table. Over 30 known isotopes exist, the most of all elements. Po-209 has a half-life of 103 years. Possible uses in heating spacecraft. Discovered by Marie Curie in 1898 in a sample of pitchblende.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. Chem. a rare radioactive metallic element, occurring naturally in uranium ores. Usage: Symb.: Po. Etymology: F & mod.L f. med.L Polonia Poland (the discoverer's native country) + -IUM

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Polonium Po*lo"ni*um, n. [NL. So named after Poland, in L. form Polonia, one of the discoverers being a Pole.] (Chem.) A supposed new element, a radioactive substance discovered by M. and MMe. Curie in pitchblende. It is closely related chemically to bismuth. It emits only alpha rays and is perhaps identical with radium F.