plutonium
/pluːˈtoʊniəm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.24 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The transuranic chemical element with atomic number 94 and symbol Pu: a silvery-gray fissile radioactive actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air.
Uncountable
noun
The transuranic chemical element with atomic number 94 and symbol Pu: a silvery-gray fissile radioactive actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "Plutonium? You mean this sucker's nuclear?"
- "The Samson Option states that Moshe Dayan gave the go-ahead for starting weapon production in early 1968, putting the plutonium separation plant into full operation."
- "For 75 years, it has fulfilled a wide range of roles: producing weapons-grade plutonium for early atomic weapons in the aftermath of the Second World War; the world's first commercial nuclear power station supplying electricity to the National Grid; reprocessing and storage of nuclear fuel; and the processing of lower grades of radioactive waste for off-site storage."
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek πλοῦτος (ploûtos) Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Ancient Greek -ων (-ōn) Ancient Greek Πλούτων (Ploútōn)bor. Latin Plūtōbor. Middle English Pluto English Pluto English -n- Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Italic *-om Latin -umder. English -ium English plutonium After Pluto (dwarf planet) + -n- + -ium. More in Wikipedia at plutonium § History.
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
plutonium-239
plutonium bomb
plutonium dioxide
plutonium enrichment
plutonium hydride
plutonium pit
reactor-grade plutonium
weapon-grade plutonium