Word
uranium
Phoneticsura·ni·um
US/jɝˈeɪniəm/
UK/jɔːɹˈeɪniəm/
Definition
n. a heavy, silver-white metal that is used to create nuclear energy. It is very powerful and can be dangerous because it is radioactive.
n. a heavy, silvery-white, metallic chemical element with atomic number 92. It is naturally radioactive and serves as the primary fuel for nuclear reactors and certain types of nuclear weapons.
Examples
“The power plant uses uranium to produce electricity.”
“Geologists discovered a large deposit of uranium ore deep beneath the desert floor.”
“The enrichment of uranium remains a highly sensitive geopolitical issue due to the dual-use nature of the technology for both civilian energy and military applications.”
Examples
simple
“The power plant uses uranium to produce electricity.”
contextual
“Geologists discovered a large deposit of uranium ore deep beneath the desert floor.”
complex
“The enrichment of uranium remains a highly sensitive geopolitical issue due to the dual-use nature of the technology for both civilian energy and military applications.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the chemical element; can be countable when referring to specific isotopes or types of the metal.
Real-World Examples
“Fortunately, carbon-14 emits radiation in the form of electrons, which for us is kind of like receiving a constant but imperceptibly low-level electric shock—not at all like the cell-shredding gamma rays emitted by uranium.” “When researchers fed microbes in uranium-contaminated mine water with glycerol, about 95% of the dissolved uranium disappeared within 130 days.” Etymology
After Uranus (the planet), + -ium.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/uranium