atomicadj.n.
/əˈtɒmɪk/, U.S. /əˈtɑmɪk/ A. adj.
I. Senses relating to atoms as understood in ancient Greece, and derived uses.
1.
a. History of Science. Designating the doctrine of atoms taught by Leucippus and his pupil Democritus in the 5th cent. b.c.; relating to this doctrine. Cf. atom n. 3.
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the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [adjective] > relating to atoms > concerned with atoms
atomic1678
the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > ancient Greek philosophy > pre-Socratic schools of philosophy > [adjective] > specific schools or philosophers
Pythagorical1570
Pythagorean1579
Anaxagorean1586
Pythagoric1589
Empedoclean1599
Democritean1603
Democritala1617
Democritical1650
atomical1653
Italic1662
Democritish1668
Anaximandrian1678
atomic1678
Democritic1678
Heraclitic1678
hylopathian1678
Parmenidean1678
Heracliticala1688
atomistic1695
Eleatic1695
atomistical1707
acousmatic1753
Pythagorico-Platonic1760
Zenonic1779
Heraclitean1791
neopythagorean1863
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe Pref. sig. *v The First Chapter, is an Account of the Atomick Physiology, as made the Foundation of the Democritick Fate.
1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 42 I do not think it agreeable to Philosophick Verity and Accuracy; but do rather incline to the Atomick Hypothesis.
1704 W. Sherlock Disc. Happiness ii. ii. 77 The Substance of all Material things is the same, diversified by different Qualities and Accidents; or, to speak in the Atomic Language, by different Magnitudes, Figures, Sites, and Motion.
a1770 J. Jortin Tracts (1790) II. 255 In the passage of Lactantius..quoted above, the invention of the atomick doctrine is ascribed to Leucippus.
1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. I. i. ii. 12 The great atomic system taught by old Moschus..; revived by Democritus of laughing memory; improved by Epicurus..and modernized by the fanciful Descartes.
1878 B. Stewart & P. G. Tait Unseen Universe (1880) 37 Adopting like Epicurus the atomic or corpuscular theory of things.
1940 G. Gamow Birth & Death of Sun ii. 17 The atomic hypothesis also appeared to him [sc. Democritus]..to satisfy his philosophic preconception concerning the fundamental simplicity of nature.
1998 Ambix 45 17 The three-dimensionality accorded to these particles is a counterpart to the atomic system of Leucippus and Democritus.
b. Of a person: adhering to or advocating the atomic philosophy of Leucippus and Democritus.
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1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe Pref. sig. *v Epicurus, (who was also an Atomick Atheist,..having, in all probability, therefore a Mind to Innovate Something).
1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 24 These mechanick Theists have here quite outstripped..the Atomick Atheists.
1741 S. Croxall Antiq. Music 6 The conceit of the atomic Philosophers..carries in it a pretty Air of probability.
1791 W. Enfield Brucker's Hist. Philos. I. ii. viii. 225 Plato is not to be ranked amongst the atomic philosophers.
1965 Technol. & Culture 6 589 Pope Benedict XIV invited..the physicist and atomic philosopher Boscowich to analyze the structural failures in the dome of St Peter's Church.
2003 E. J. Hunt Christianity in 2nd Cent. iv. 99 The atomic philosopher Democritus..comes under attack from Tatian for the doctrine of sympathies and antipathies.
2. Of, relating to, or consisting of atoms or tiny particles (see atom n. 8). Now rare except as merged with modern senses at branch A. II.
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the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [adjective] > relating to atoms
atomical1610
atomic1692
atomatic1842
atomistic1877
1692 J. Edwards Farther Enq. Old & New Test. vii. 229 They agreed to give the World its Date from those capering Atoms... But indeed according to their Hypothesis it had no Date at all, for all this Atomick Bustle was from Eternity.
1697 tr. W. Godolphin in State-poems Continued 5 Love at last disclos'd Its Force, and all th' Atomic Broils compos'd.
1751 Rhapsody Free Thougths 12 [Men] upon their Fall..suppressed and reduced to their atomic State.
1786 H. More Florio 17 He knew the little sceptic prattle, Talk'd gravely of th' Atomic dance.
1847 A. Tulk tr. L. Oken Elements Physiophilos. 411 The ear..perceives the motion of the primary matter, or the atomic motion.
1883 T. T. Munger Freedom of Faith ix. 232 The material atomic body may be swept away and gathered to its original dust, leaving the immaterial body intact.
1962 Perspectives New Music 1 36 The composer..gains control over the atomic substance of his material by prescribing every motion of its particles in advance.
3. Like atoms in size; minute, tiny.
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the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > smallness > [adjective] > extremely small
tinea1400
little weea1525
undersmall?1527
little little1542
perpusil1598
tiny1598
punctual1605
minute1606
pygmya1616
exiguous1630
atomical1646
minutulous1651
puncticular1658
arenulous1664
myriate1665
minimal1666
minim1671
infinitesimal1733
minutissim1768
weeny1790
midgety1798
teeny1802
pinpoint1807
atomic1809
homuncular1822
minnow1824
weeshy1825
pinhead1835
finitesimal1836
homoeopathic1838
teeny-weeny1842
teenty1844
teenty-taunty1844
teeny-tiny1849
submolecular1854
teensy1856
super-compact1860
midget1865
ultramicroscopic1870
pilulous1871
teensy-weensy1872
tee-tiny1872
minuscule1878
smitchy1888
eeny-weeny1894
eensy-weensy1904
pygmean1904
ultramicroscopical1904
bitsy1905
bitty1905
totty1906
millimetric1909
miniscule1909
minuscular1911
insectual1912
micro1931
eeny1933
eensy1940
submicrogram1941
submillimetre1954
diddy1963
mini1963
micro-mini1967
1809 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 99 319 These atomic globules are quite different.
1866 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Agric. & Prices I. ii. 28 The means of measuring changes almost atomic.
1935 H. Edib Clown & his Daughter i. 295 Clouds of flies, with atomic specks of brilliant red and green on their wings.
1980 P. Preuss tr. F. Nietzsche Advantage & Disadvantage of Hist. viii. 44 That infinitesimally small atomic speck, the individual man.
II. Senses relating to atoms as understood in modern science and employed in technology.
4. Physics and Chemistry. Relating to or involving atoms; of an atom.
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the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [adjective]
atomical1653
atomistical1707
atomic1806
atomist1876
1806 Repertory of Arts 2nd Ser. 8 378 If we cannot seize these atomic substances and determine their nature, we may at least, after the labours of M. Guyton,..destroy their action.
1810 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 4) V. 789 There can be little doubt that Gay Lussac was led to the notion of this law from the atomic theory of Dalton.
1819 J. G. Children Ess. Chem. Anal. 285 The atomic composition of pyromucic acid.
1850 C. G. B. Daubeny Introd. Atomic Theory (ed. 2) i. 46 That vantage ground which the atomic philosopher possesses over the rival theorist.
1897 W. F. Magie tr. C. Christiansen Elem. Theoret. Physics i. 48 (heading) On the molecular and atomic structure of bodies.
1903 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 6th Ser. 5 583 Radioactive change can only be of the nature of an atomic disintegration.
1912 Times 24 Apr. 26/5 The energy dependent on atomic transformation.
1922 T. M. Lowry Inorg. Chem. xix. 217 The atomic radii..express the distances between the atoms in these crystals.
1954 D. J. Hughes Neutron Optics i. 17 The interaction of the magnetic moment of the neutron with the atomic magnetic fields.
1983 K. M. Cook tr. A. Anikin Gold: Yellow Devil iii. 37 Together with copper and silver it forms..a..subgroup of elements which, by virtue of common features in their atomic structure, possess many similar chemical properties.
2001 R. W. Cahn Coming of Materials Sci. v. 221 The resolution is better than an atomic diameter, but the nature of the image is not safely interpretable.
5. Science. Existing as individual atoms, usually as opposed to molecules; of or relating to such existence. Cf. atomic hydrogen n. at Compounds 2, and molecular adj. 1.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > [adjective]
atomic1841
molecular1864
microphysical1897
the world > relative properties > wholeness > state or quality of being simple, unmixed, or uncompounded > [adjective] > of the nature of an ultimate constituent
elemental1555
elementary1622
atomic1841
the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [adjective] > relating to atoms > consisting of separate atoms
atomic1841
1841 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 19 261 I venture to suggest, that that quantity of current electricity which is able to electrolyze an atomic element expressed in grains in one hour of time, be called a degree.
1881 Nature No. 617. 391 Whether the temperature produces a simpler form, a more atomic condition of the same thing.
1889 I. Remsen Inorg. Chem. vii. 92 The compound breaks down so readily into water and oxygen, which is apparently in the atomic state.
1946 V. N. Wood Metall. Materials xi. 307 A stream of hydrogen is passed through the arc where the molecules of gas are broken down into the atomic state.
1979 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 290 505 The conversion of stratospheric ozone and atomic oxygen back to molecular oxygen is catalysed by a number of atmospheric trace species.
2007 Astron. & Geophysics Feb. 26/1 The most important reaction involving cosmic dust grains is the formation of molecular hydrogen from incident atomic hydrogen.
6.
a. Employing atomic energy as a source of propulsive power. Cf. nuclear adj. 5a.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear fuel > [adjective]
atomic1913
atomic-powered1945
nuclear1945
nuclear-powered1947
atom-powered1949
1913 H. G. Wells World set Free in Eng. Rev. Dec. 37 The new atomic aëroplane.
1950 Sat. Evening Post 22 July 26 (headline) We're betting our shirts on the atomic submarine.
1959 Times 16 Sept. 10/2 The Soviet atomic icebreaker Lenin left Leningrad to-day on her maiden voyage into the Baltic.
1972 M. I. Goldman Spoils of Progress v. 143 Within the same period, the USSR will have commissioned about one thousand different atomic ships, some of which will also have to dispose of their waste in Soviet waters.
2003 J. H. Lienhard Inventing Modern xv. 248 Fine scientists became absurd predictors. Glenn Seaborg promised atomic airplanes. William Laurence promised sightseeing rockets to the moon.
b. Designating apparatus and establishments used for obtaining energy from atoms, esp. by means of controlled chain reactions. Cf. nuclear reactor n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > [adjective] > relating to nuclear power
atomic1945
nuclear1948
1945 W. Davis (title) Atomic power plants of the future.
1962 Times 4 Apr. 15/1 There is every promise that the Sizewell nuclear power station..will be the first atomic installation to produce electricity as cheaply as the most modern conventional power station.
1982 G. C. Hill & J. S. Holman Chem. in Context: Lab. Man. & Study Guide 124/1 This particular knife-edge incident could not have happened at any of Britain's thirteen operational atomic power stations.
2000 D. Conley Honky vii. 88 I trucked out to Long Island with them..to protest the opening of an atomic power plant in Shoreham.
7.
a. Of a weapon: deriving its destructive power from the rapid, uncontrolled release of atomic energy in fission or fusion; = nuclear adj. 5b. Earliest in atomic bomb n.Cf. also fission bomb n. at fission n. Compounds, fusion bomb n. at fusion n. Compounds 2.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > [adjective] > atomic
atomic1914
1914 H. G. Wells World set Free in Eng. Rev. Feb. 326 Never before..had there been a continuing explosive..; and these atomic bombs which science burst upon the world that night were strange even to the men who used them.
1914 H. G. Wells World set Free ii. 96 The three atomic bombs, the new bombs that would continue to explode indefinitely.
1945 Proc. & Addr. Amer. Philos. Assoc. 19 442 The consequences of atomic weapons for mankind.
1946 R. A. Heinlein Let. 1 Jan. in R. A. Heinlein & V. Heinlein Grumbles from Grave (1990) 91 My own brother..thought my pre-war stories about the atomic bomb and atomic weapons to be sheer moonshine.
1954 Ann. Reg. 1953 376 The main spring test was made on 17 March with an ‘atomic device’ having about three-quarters of the power of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
1982 W. L. Heat Moon Blue Highways ix. vi. 367 Give me an atomic warhead any day to disease warfare.
2002 K. Matinuddin Nuclearization S. Asia i. 7 The top secret Manhattan Project..was established in 1942 at Los Alamos, New Mexico for the specific purpose of producing atomic weapons.
b. Of or involving atomic weapons; relating to such weapons; = nuclear adj. 5d.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > [adjective] > nuclear > relating to or using
atomic1946
thermonuclear1953
nuclear1954
nuke1976
1946 War Illustr. 18 Jan. 604/3 Our Royal Navy is rushing plans to revolutionize the fleet to resist atomic warfare.
1955 A. Koestler Trail of Dinosaur 238 The only deterrent against atomic aggression is an atomic stockpile.
1958 Times 1 July 10/4 The French Ministers, as had been expected, last night emphasized their wish to see France become a member of the ‘atomic club’.
1988 D. W. Louis in M. Atwood Best Amer. Short Stories 1989 (1989) 216 There comes, then, finally, the prospect of atomic war.
2003 Science 23 May 1220 (caption) In the Ground Zero area, decrepit facilities..are an eerie memorial to the first Soviet atomic test in 1949.
8. Belonging to or designating the age, era, etc., marked by the various applications of atomic energy, esp. the development of atomic weapons.Cf. nuclear age n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
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1921 Times 15 Sept. 9/5 The Edinburgh meeting of the British Association will long be remembered as that at which the new atomic age was made known to those outside the inner ring of science.
1946 A. Boyd U.N. Handbk. i. 25 It is already clear that the arrival of the ‘atomic age’ has brought in its train the possibility of outbursts of destruction on an incomparably greater scale [than in the Second World War 1939–45].
1950 Amer. Speech 25 27 The ‘Atomic Era’ will depend, both as a new term and a new thought, upon the use the generality of us give it.
1985 Financial Times (Nexis) 30 Nov. (Books section) p. xviii Not a sermon for the atomic generation.
1994 Nation (N.Y.) 11 Apr. 495/1 James Bryant Conant—Harvard's president from 1933 to 1953 and the man most responsible for ushering America into the atomic era.
2004 Wired Sept. 162/1 Today's nuclear power plants are the fruits of a decision tree rooted in the earliest days of the atomic age.
9. Working in or expert in the field of atomic energy or atomic physics. Cf. nuclear adj. 4.
ΚΠ
1925 L. Michaelis Effects of Ions in Colloidal Syst. iii. 46 It may be reserved to the atomic physicist to explain this behavior.
1941 Astounding Sci.-Fiction June 121/1 I shouldn't, being a mere space pilot, have tried to think I was an atomic physicist.
1971 N.Y. Times 11 Jan. 30/5 What of the genetic pollution just from the growing number of atomic workers exposed to permissible occupational doses ten times higher?
1977 R. Coover Public Burning 29 Then suddenly Scotland Yard of Great Britain arrests a high-domed bespectacled atomic scientist named Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs.
2001 Geogr. Rev. 91 333 Archival research is situated somewhere between the labors of a novelist and those of an atomic physicist.
III. In extended use.
10. Logic. Of a proposition, sentence, etc.: irreducible, unanalysable; spec. including no logical constants. Cf. molecular adj. 4.
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the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > philosophy of language > language theories of individual philosophers > [adjective] > of logical atomism
atomic1912
atomistic1918
1912 L. Wittgenstein Let. to Russell in Notebks. 1914–16 (1961) 120 I believe that our problems can be traced down to the atomic propositions.
1918 B. Russell in Monist 28 523 An atomic proposition is one which does mention actual particulars, not merely describe them but actually name them.
1922 C. K. Ogden et al. tr. L. Wittgenstein Tractatus 31 An atomic fact is a combination of objects (entities, things).
1952 Jrnl. Symbolic Logic 17 214 An atomic sentence is a full sentence of a primitive predicate.
1977 D. Weissman Eternal Possibilities 27 Atomic sentences are said to be the only ones that may represent states of affairs which are themselves correspondingly atomic.
1994 S. Blackburn Oxf. Dict. Philos. 27/2 An atomic formula is one with no logical constants. An atomic sentence is an atomic formula with no free variables. Intuitively, it is..a sentence consisting of a name and a monadic predicate (Bill snores) or a number of names and a relational predicate (Bill loves Mary).
B. n.† 1. An adherent of the atomic philosophy of ancient Greece (cf. sense A. 1b). = atomist n. 1a. Obsolete. rare.
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the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > ancient Greek philosophy > pre-Socratic schools of philosophy > [noun] > Presocratic philosopher or adherent > of specific schools
Ionic1483
Pythagorean1531
Pythagorist1576
Italic1594
physiologer1598
Democritean1603
atomist1610
Pythagoric1652
physiologist1653
acousmatic1660
mathematic1660
Pythagorite1660
Anaxagorean1678
Anaximandrian1678
atomic1678
Heraclitic1678
Parmenidean1678
Pythagorician1678
hylopathian1809
atomician1850
neopythagorean1891
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe Pref. sig. ** Other Philosophick Atheists..before those Atomicks, Epicurus and Democritus.
2.
a. In plural. Atomic weapons. Cf. atomics n.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > [noun] > a particular species of weapon > nuclear
nuclear bomb1945
big boy1946
nuclear weapon1946
atomics1951
deterrent1954
nuke1958
nuclear1959
1951 N. Coward Diary 21 June (2000) 172 The spy leakages have really frightened the Russians, who have not got enough atomics or the bomb, while the US are fairly plastered with them.
1967 F. Herbert Dune 123 Barring atomics, I know of no explosive powerful enough to destroy a large worm entirely.
b. colloquial. A person who works in nuclear energy research or the nuclear industry.
ΚΠ
1959 Times 5 Mar. 11/6 They are locally [sc. in Harwell]..known as ‘the atomics’.
1964 Times 3 June 8/6 The Atomic Energy Authority employ about 2,400 people here... The Thurso people..sometimes call them ‘the atomics’.
Compounds
C1. Parasynthetic.
atomic-powered adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear fuel > [adjective]
atomic1913
atomic-powered1945
nuclear1945
nuclear-powered1947
atom-powered1949
1945 War Illustr. 9 Nov. 439/1 (caption) An atomic-powered locomotive;..an atomic power-house;..a streamlined atomic-powered liner.
1953 Ann. Reg. 1952 403 In June President Truman was present at the laying of the keel of the first atomic-powered submarine Nautilus.
1998 J. A. Evans Celluloid Mushroom Clouds 9 The marvels promised by the harnessing of the ‘good’ atom, all neatly displayed in the form of atomic-powered dishwashers and kitchen ranges in the Monsanto ‘House of the Future’ at Disneyland.
C2.
atomic absorption n. †(a) absorption of atoms (obsolete. rare); (b) Physics absorption of radiation by atoms; (also) = atomic absorption spectroscopy n.
ΚΠ
1860 G. H. Taylor Expos. Swedish Movement-cure iii. 92 Atomic absorption is necessarily preliminary to the process of renovation; the destruction of the organized form..must precede growth.
1924 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 105 18 The total atomic absorption of γ-rays from RaB + C, after filtration through 1 cm. lead, is given by [etc.].
1990 Internat. Jrnl. Epidemiol. 19 1093/1 Lead, arsenic, and cadmium were analysed by flame atomic absorption with a graphite furnace.
1997 D. Walton Appeal to Expert Opinion i. 15 DNA profiling is the best known example, but other sophisticated instrumental techniques include neutron activation analysis, atomic absorption, mass spectrometry, [etc.].
atomic absorption coefficient n. Physics a coefficient representing the degree to which individual atoms absorb incident radiation.
ΚΠ
1914 W. H. Bragg & S. E. Peirce in London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 6th Ser. 28 629 We may now look for some relation between the atomic absorption coefficients and other atomic characteristics.
1936 N. Feather Introd. Nucl. Physics xiii. 202 The atomic absorption coefficient is defined in a precisely similar manner. It may be regarded..as the target area per atomic nucleus effective in absorption.
2005 Thin Solid Films 471 304/2 Taking into account the CdTe atomic absorption coefficient for X-rays, film thickness must be higher than 50 μm for sufficient radiation absorption.
atomic absorption spectroscopy n. Science a technique for determining the concentration of particular metal elements in a sample, in which light is passed through the substance in vaporized or atomized form (e.g. in a flame) and then analysed to ascertain how the light has changed.
ΚΠ
1957 Spectrochimica Acta 9 361 The application of atomic absorption spectroscopy to the analysis of solids was reviewed.
1987 J. S. Handler et al. in K. F. Kiple Afr. Exchange 143 A trace mineral analysis method, using atomic absorption spectroscopy and developed to measure skeletal lead content, had been successfully applied to several black and white North American colonial populations.
2000 B. P. Kooyman Understanding Stone Tools & Archaeol. Sites iv. 41 Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)..is one of the best techniques to use for precisely determining the major, minor, and trace element composition of lithic materials.
atomic beam n. Physics a beam of individual atoms, esp. one that is collimated.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > [noun] > beam formed by gas atoms
atomic beam1922
1922 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 101 119 At still lower pressures the cathode beam faded into invisibility, although the atomic beam could still be traced.
1977 Sci. Amer. Feb. 91/3 The separation is accomplished by passing the atomic beam through an inhomogeneous electric or magnetic field, which deflects those atoms that are more readily polarized.
2003 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 361 1670 An atom laser is to an incoherent atomic beam what an optical laser is to a light bulb.
atomic clock n. an instrument used as an extremely accurate type of clock and employing the frequency of radiation from atoms of caesium, rubidium, or another element, usually in a tunable microwave cavity.Since 1967 the second as a unit of time has been scientifically defined using a caesium atomic clock, rather than in terms of the length of the year; cf. second n.1 2a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > other types of clock
watch-clock1592
German clock1598
quarter clocka1631
wheel-clock1671
table clocka1684
month clock1712
astronomical clock1719
musical clock1721
repeater1725
Tompion1727
pulling clock1733
regulator1735
eight-day clock1741
regulator clock1750
French clock1757
repetition clock1765
day clock1766
striker1778
chiming clock1789
cuckoo-clock1789
night clock1823
telltale1827
carriage clock1828
fly-clock1830
steeple clock1830
telltale clock1832
skeleton clock1842
telegraph clock1842
star clock1850
weight-clock1850
prison clock1853
crystal clock1854
pillar scroll top clock1860
sheep's-head clock1872
presentation clock1875
pillar clock1880
stop-clock1881
Waterbury1882
calendar-clock1884
ting-tang clock1884
birdcage clock1886
sheep's head1887
perpetual calendar1892
bracket clock1894
Act of Parliament clock1899
cartel clock1899
banjo-clock1903
master clock1904
lantern clock1913
time clock1919
evolutionary clock1922
lancet clock1922
atomic clock1927
quartz clock1934
clock radio1946
real-time clock1953
organ clock1956
molecular clock1974
travelling clock2014
1927 Science 9 Sept. 226/2 What they call an atomic clock; by which they mean a single atom in a gas, emitting light of definite frequency.
1958 Times 14 Oct. 5/3 The caesium atomic clock, which is on exhibition at the British clock and watch industry's display in the Goldsmiths' Hall, London.
2003 Florida Entomologist 86 402/1 All times reported are in Eastern Daylight Saving Time on a 24-hour atomic clock.
atomic cocktail n. colloquial (originally U.S.) (a) an oral dose of a liquid containing a radioactive substance, used in medical treatment and diagnosis, esp. of diseases of the thyroid gland; (b) (the name of) a strong alcoholic cocktail, esp. one which is given a theme relating to nuclear weapons or energy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical admixture or isolation > [noun] > dangerous mixture of chemical substances
cocktail1901
atomic cocktail1941
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > distilled drink > cocktail > [noun] > other cocktails
balderdash1611
twist1699
Coke-upon-Littleton1740
julep1787
camphor julep1788
switchel1790
sling1792
mint sling1804
mint julep1809
swizzle1813
smash1850
rattlesnake1862
sour1862
Collins1865
John Collins1865
split1882
rickey1893
Picon punch1900
stinger1901
Bronx1906
Jack Rose1912
Pimm's1912
orange blossom1919
Americano1928
Merry Widow1930
snowball1930
atomic cocktail1941
Sazarac cocktail1941
grasshopper1949
Bellini1955
saketini1959
wallbanger1970
caipirinha1973
Long Island ice tea1978
Alabama slammer1980
Long Island iced tea1981
1941 Hayward (Calif.) Daily Rev. 22 Sept. 2/1 At the University of California scientists give patients suffering from too many red corpuscles in their blood, an ‘atomic cocktail’ of phosphorus, which curtails manufacture of red corpuscles.
1945 Washington Post 8 Aug. 14/2 The Press Club yesterday featured an Atomic Cocktail.
1972 Hattiesburg (Mississippi) Amer. 20 Apr. 14/1 An atomic cocktail of water and the isotope iodine-131 diagnoses and helps thyroid disorders.
2005 Time Out (Nexis) 31 Aug. 31 This..theme bar never fails to amuse, especially after a couple of good value atomic cocktails.
atomic energy n. the energy of or within atoms; spec. the energy released by the fission of the atomic nuclei of certain heavy elements such as uranium-235 and plutonium, or by the fusion of light nuclei; cf. nuclear energy n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > energy or power of doing work > [noun] > specific types of energy
internal energy1654
positive energy1807
chemical energy1809
energy1852
potential energy1853
atomic energy1854
latent energy1854
static energy1869
free energy1884
rest energy1925
nuclear energy1958
radial energy1959
tangential energy1959
geothermal1960
dark energy1998
quintessence1998
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > [noun] > energy from heavy elements
atomic power1824
atomic energy1854
nuclear energy1927
nuclear power1945
nuclear1975
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear fusion > [noun] > energy released by
atomic energy1854
nuclear energy1927
nuclear power1945
1854 A. Brown Philos. Physics iii. 113 As the variable intensity of atomic energy qualified them for their first formations, they..would be as well qualified to constitute both base and superstructure of all other molecular formations.
1903 E. Rutherford & F. Soddy in London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 6th Ser. 5 590 There is no reason to assume that this enormous store of energy is possessed by the radio-elements alone. It seems probable that atomic energy in general is of a similar, high order of magnitude.
1924 Sci. Amer. Aug. 120/1 Atomic energy is the phrase of the hour.
1946 A. Boyd U.N. Handbk. v. 72 The member states had all nominated their representatives to the Atomic Energy Commission by May 1946.
1972 W. W. Rostow Diffusion of Power xliii. 582 India commands a sophisticated atomic energy establishment as well as substantial engineering and chemical industries.
2004 Population & Devel. Rev. 30 758 Scientific means to release atomic energy provide an obvious historical example of a technology capable of both benign and destructive use.
atomic engine n. †(a) (perhaps) an engine powered by atoms in some novel way (obsolete); (b) chiefly Science Fiction an engine powered by atomic energy.
ΚΠ
1858 J. Smith & S. A. Chease Brit. Patent 1858 (1859) 3 This engine (which we call the atomic engine) is capable of driving all kinds of machinery which have been hitherto worked by steam, water, or wind.
1914 H. G. Wells in Cent. Mag. 87 571/1 The swift aëroplane, with its atomic engine as noiseless as a dancing sunbeam.
1946 Astounding Sci. Fiction Nov. 5/2 A ‘raw’ or unshielded atomic engine could be small, light, and inordinately powerful.
1966 D. S. Halacy Shipbuilders vi. 121 Because the atomic engine needed no oxygen to support it, the Navy would have a craft capable of remaining submerged for long periods of time.
2001 Analog Sept. 15/1 His assortment of knives..made him look equipped for tasks of a highly technological nature such as the overhaul of an atomic engine.
atomic fission n. Nuclear Physics = fission n. 4.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > [noun]
fission1939
atomic fission1942
1942 Science 10 July 8/1 Atomic fission similar to that of uranium 235..takes place in the sun's corona.
1945 W. S. Churchill Victory (1946) 220 By..1939 it had become widely recognized..that the release of energy by atomic fission was a possibility.
2002 R. Rorty in N. K. Frankenberry Radical Interpr. Relig. iii. 54 It seems natural to separate the political question of whether it was a good thing for humanity that scientists began to think about the possibility of atomic fission from scientific questions.
atomic force microscope n. Science a type of very high-resolution microscope that builds up an image of a surface at the atomic level by scanning it with a cantilevered stylus and measuring the varying force on the stylus from its deflection.
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1986 G. Binnig et al. in Physical Rev. Lett. 56 930 The atomic force microscope is a combination of the principles of the scanning tunneling microscope and the stylus profilometer.
1999 J. Weiner Time, Love, Memory 59 Using an instrument called an atomic force microscope, they can watch enzymes sliding down strands of DNA and they can see the strands of DNA unrolling.
2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 10 Apr. d3/1 The same researchers..demonstrated that a zinc oxide nanowire, when bent by the tip of an atomic force microscope, generates an electric current.
atomic furnace n. an apparatus for obtaining high temperatures from the energy of atoms; spec. = nuclear reactor n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear reactor > [noun]
atomic furnace1934
pile1942
atomic reactor1945
nuclear reactor1945
reactor1945
nuclear pile1946
atomic pile1947
1934 Sunday Jrnl. & Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) 11 Feb. c-d8/4 ‘My friends,’—Hendron's voice began to tremble—‘for the past seventy-five minutes this metal has withstood not only the heat of an atomic blast, but the immeasurably greater heat of Professor Kane's recently developed atomic furnace.’
1955 Times 4 July 5/1 The heat from the Atomic Energy Authority's six new reactors (atomic furnaces).
1988 M. A. Bartter Way to Ground Zero ii. 52 Although Gallun claims that heredity does not make much difference, the Martians are shown as rulers, while the Human makes the atomic furnace work.
atomic heat n. [after French chaleur atomique (H. V. Regnault 1841, in Ann. de chim. et de physique 1 185)] Physics the product of the atomic weight of an element and its specific heat.Largely superseded by the molar heat or molar heat capacity.
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the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [noun] > atoms > atomic heat
atomic heat1850
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > heat > [noun] > atomic or molecular heat
atomic heat1850
molecular heat1864
1850 T. Graham Elem. Chem. (ed. 2) I. iii. 139 The atomic heat of bodies, as it is named by this chemist [sc. Regnault (1841)], is obtained by multiplying the observed specific heat of each body by its equivalent.
1926 Sci. Monthly Nov. 400/1 Others..added successive improvements to Einstein's formula until the erratic behaviour of the atomic heat was satisfactorily expressed.
1988 H. A. Klein Sci. Measurem. xxx. 342 We have two possible comparative standards of atomic heat to use—the constant-volume standard of 12.47 J/K per mole, and the constant-pressure standard of 20.8 J/K per mole.
atomic hydrogen n. Science hydrogen that is dissociated into separate atoms rather than existing in the molecular form (H2); cf. sense A. 5.
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the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > hydrogen > [noun] > atomic
atomic hydrogen1896
hydrogen1920
1896 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 18 284 Because of its formation from molecular oxygen and atomic hydrogen, Traube wrote the symbol: H.O:O.H [for hydrogen peroxide].
1930 H. Chatley Princ. Rocket Propulsion 5 Esnault-Pelterie..discusses the possibility of using atomic hydrogen as the propellant but little is known of this highly active material.
2001 Science 30 Nov. 1914/2 Decomposition of H2 to atomic hydrogen by ionospheric processes determines the extent of escape of hydrogen to space.
atomic-hydrogen welding n. (also atomic-hydrogen arc welding) Engineering a form of arc welding that uses an atmosphere of hydrogen, the hydrogen molecules being dissociated by the arc into atoms which subsequently recombine, generating intense heat.
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1926 Gen. Electr. Rev. 29 160 (title) Atomic hydrogen arc welding.
1926 Jrnl. Amer. Welding Soc. Oct. 71 (heading) Atomic hydrogen welding.
1953 Science 23 Oct. 453/1 Atomic-hydrogen welding made possible for the first time the easy welding of aluminum, chromium, and other previously unweldable metals.
1969 New Castle (Pa.) News 15 July 22/6 He..worked on the research and development of atomic hydrogen welding procedures of airplane propellers.
atomic hypothesis n. History of Science the hypothesis that matter consists of minute indivisible particles, the nature of which determines the properties of each substance; spec. the form of this developed from the ideas of John Dalton c1803 (cf. Daltonian adj.), according to which all the atoms of a chemical element are identical, and different from those of every other element; cf. atomic theory n.
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1738 W. Warburton Divine Legation Moses I. iii. iv. 398 One of the first, as well as the noblest Systems of Physics, is the Atomic Hypothesis, as it was revived by Des Cartes.
1853 W. Gregory Inorg. Chem. (ed. 3) 21 According to the atomic hypothesis..matter is composed of certain minute, indivisible particles, or atoms; and consequently cannot be divided infinitely.
1880 E. Cleminshaw tr. C. A. Wurtz Atomic Theory 330 Thermo-chemical facts agree perfectly with the atomic hypothesis.
2000 P. Maddy Naturalism in Math. ii. vi. 135 Though the notion that matter is composed of tiny particles goes back to the Greeks, the beginning for the modern atomic hypothesis was Dalton's experimental work in the first decade of the nineteenth century.
atomic moment n. (a) Philosophy a moment or interval of time regarded as indivisible; (b) [compare French moments magnétiques des atomes (P. E. Weiss 1911, in Comptes rendus hebd. de l'Acad. des Sci. 152 187)] Physics the magnetic moment of an atom.
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1883 F. H. Bradley Princ. Logic i. ii. 52 The reality is not present in the sense of given in one atomic moment.
1923 E. N. da C. Andrade Struct. Atom xiii. 275 If..the classical theory is valid, all directions of the atomic moment are equally likely.
1929 Mind 38 319 It appears to me to be quite impossible that in an atomic moment we can sense a change which begins before that moment.
1991 Jrnl. Amer. Oriental Soc. 111 455/1 One can go on down to the very last atomic moment of activity, no longer divisible into components, and each such prior moment is divisible into components.
2001 R. W. Cahn Coming of Materials Sci. iii. 143 The progressive misalignment of atomic moments as the temperature is raised.
atomic nucleus n. Physics = nucleus n. 8.
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the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [noun] > nucleus
nucleus1844
atomic nucleus1851
nucleant1959
1851 W. J. M. Rankine in London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 4th Ser. 1 443 If an indefinitely extended vibrating medium..consist of a system of atomic nuclei.
1900 Science 21 Sept. 424/2 This will..be the case for ultimate atoms if, as is most likely, the distances at which they are kept apart are large compared with the diameters of the atomic nuclei.
1958 Sci. News 48 14 Cosmic rays are extremely energetic protons and other atomic nuclei which originate in the main in outer space.
2003 Connecting Quarks with Cosmos (U.S. National Res. Council: Div. Engin. & Phys. Sci.) 204 (Gloss.) Strong interaction (or strong nuclear force): the force felt by baryons and mesons that holds nucleons together in atomic nuclei.
atomic orbital n. Physics and Chemistry an electronic orbital (orbital n. 1) in an isolated atom; an orbital that belongs to a single atom and is not shared between two or more atoms; cf. molecular orbital n. at molecular adj. Compounds.
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1932 R. S. Mulliken in Physical Rev. 41 50 The method followed here will be to describe unshared electrons always in terms of atomic orbitals but to use molecular orbitals for shared electrons.
1981 P. Sykes Guidebk. to Mechanism in Org. Chem. (ed. 5) i. 6 If overlap of the two atomic orbitals has taken place along their major axes, the resultant bonding molecular orbital is referred to as a σ orbital.
2000 Pop. Sci. Sept. 14/1 (caption) How well do you know your atomic orbitals? Help is on the way: Tetratops are designed to teach children (and adults) about the shapes of atoms and molecules.
atomic physics n. the branch of physics (or †philosophy) concerned with the properties and structure of individual atoms; cf. nuclear physics n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > [noun]
atomics1822
atomic physics1852
microphysics1885
1852 O. W. Wight tr. V. Cousin Course Hist. Mod. Philos. I. 375 The system of sensualism is found in India: at first it would be easy for me to deduce it from the atomic physics of Kanada.
1882 J. Tyndall in Knowledge 2 371/1 (title) A problem in atomic physics.
1915 Science 29 Jan. 161/2 Workers in the new science of radio-activity, who have built up a conception of atomic physics often ‘hard to be understood’.
1933 Discovery May 154/2 The quantum of action..taken together with the existence of the elementary particles, forms the foundation of atomic physics.
1995 Sci. News 25 Feb. 116/2 Atom interferometers are becoming a powerful tool in the field of atomic physics.
atomic pile n. = nuclear reactor n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a; cf. nuclear pile n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a and pile n.6 4.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear reactor > [noun]
atomic furnace1934
pile1942
atomic reactor1945
nuclear reactor1945
reactor1945
nuclear pile1946
atomic pile1947
1947 J. W. Campbell Atomic Story 146 A city sprinkled with synthetic radioactives from an atomic pile would soon be a city of death.
1958 A. Marshack World in Space iii. 51 If radioactive wastes from atomic piles and reactors are dumped to the sea floor, will the circulation of these waters endanger life in the seas?
1991 A. Noble in C. Bondi New Applic. Math. iii. 59 The control room lights wink reassuringly green while the atomic pile's cooling system boils dry.
atomic power n. (originally) †power obtained from or affecting an atom (obsolete); (now) spec. = nuclear power n. (a) at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > [noun] > energy from heavy elements
atomic power1824
atomic energy1854
nuclear energy1927
nuclear power1945
nuclear1975
1824 R. Phillips Four Dialogues iii. 129 The ratio of the power is similar to those of the gaseous powers called oxygen and hydrogen. The general test is relative power, or ratio of power, and sound nomenclature should indicate atomic power, and its ratios, not absolute principles.
1847 J. Tudor Sacred Geol. iii. 166 This supposes that the atoms which are impelled, and the atomic power which impels, are equally indestructible and constant.
1914 H. G. Wells in Cent. Mag. 87 704/2 The year of crisis that followed the release of atomic power.
1951 I. Asimov Foundation iii. i. 86 Those who are left..can penetrate at a bound to atomic power, to electronics, to the theory of the hyperwarp.
2003 Amer. Econ. Rev. 93 1402/1 The influence of atomic power on productivity in the electric power generating sector proved eventually a mixed blessing.
atomic proportion n. (see proportion n. 10).
atomic radiation n. Physics (a) electromagnetic radiation emitted by an atom as a result of its orbital electrons passing from a higher to a lower energy level; (b) radiation emitted by the nucleus of an atom; = nuclear radiation n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
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1904 Times 6 Jan. 7/1 Leading physicists, who had been on the look out for evidence of some kind of atomic radiation.
1935 Discovery May 150/1 The interpretation of atomic, molecular and nuclear radiation.
1949 Times 14 Mar. 3/3 The atomic bomb destroyed not only life but buildings and other physical structures, and also there was atomic radiation in contaminated areas.
1996 G. W. F. Drake Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics Handbk. x. 136/1 Atomic radiation is discussed, in particular the wavelengths, intensities, and shapes of spectral lines.
atomic reactor n. = nuclear reactor n. at nuclear adj. and n. Compounds 2a.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear reactor > [noun]
atomic furnace1934
pile1942
atomic reactor1945
nuclear reactor1945
reactor1945
nuclear pile1946
atomic pile1947
1945 Herald-Press (St. Joseph, Mich.) 28 Nov. 3/4 I hope the University of California, Caltech and others in the area can find the ways and means to get started on a million kilowatt atomic reactor.
1958 Listener 11 Dec. 992/1 Fourth atomic reactor at Calder Hall comes into operation.
1989 A. C. Davies Sci. & Pract. Welding (ed. 9) I. v. 255 The source can be returned, after a certain period depending upon its half life, to the makers to be re-energized in an atomic reactor.
atomic spectrum n. Physics and Chemistry a spectrum of the light emitted or absorbed by an atom as a result of its orbital electrons passing from one energy level to another, and generally characteristic of the element concerned.
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1873 Proc. Royal Soc. 22 372 In iodine, the short lines, brought about by increase of density in an atomic spectrum, are represented by the addition of a system of well-defined ‘beats’ and broad bands.
1958 E. S. Gilreath Fund. Concepts Inorg. Chem. ii. 88 Since atomic spectra arise from electrons being excited to levels above their ground states, a minimum amount of energy must be supplied to produce the excitation.
2003 M. Roos Introd. Cosmol. (ed. 3) iii. 62 In a strong gravitational field these clocks run slower, so the atomic spectra shift towards lower frequencies.
atomic time n. time as measured by atomic clocks; spec. (more fully International Atomic Time) an internationally accepted time scale now based on the weighted average of the time given by a set of atomic clocks located in different countries, and forming the basis of Coordinated Universal Time.
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1937 Times 23 Feb. 19/7 There is..the ordinary dynamic time measured by clocks and by the rotation of the earth, and, on the other hand, kinematic time measured by atomic changes such as the disintegration of radium... While the atomic time is finite so that the universe has a definite beginning in time the ordinary time is infinite.
1949 Hopewell (New Jersey) Herald 20 July 3/5 (headline) Atomic time may take place of current measure systems.
1971 Metrologia 7 43/1 These organizations now feel that the BIPM and its related framework have to deal not only with time intervals but also with time scales; specifically, they should define an International Atomic Time agreed by the Governments.
1989 Atlantic Dec. 18/2 Earth's rotation is slowing, and as a result astronomical time and atomic time fall out of synchrony.
2002 Nature 31 Jan. 477/1 Our daily lives are governed by civil time, which is based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)... UTC is International Atomic Time..offset by an integral number of seconds in order to keep it in near-synchronization with the rotation of the Earth.
atomic transition n. Physics a change of an orbital electron in an atom from one quantized state to another, with the emission or absorption of radiation of a characteristic wavelength.
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1923 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 62 331 The two types of atomic transitions are due to the fact that the molecule may store energy both by the vibrations which may exist between its component atoms and by its rotation about one or more axes.
1989 P. Horowitz & W. Hill Art of Electronics (ed. 2) v. 303/1 These use a microwave absorption line in a rubidium gas cell, or atomic transitions in an atomic cesium beam, as the reference to which a quartz crystal is stabilized.
atomic unit n. Physics a unit in a system in which certain fundamental constants, such as the mass and charge of the electron and the Bohr radius, are assigned the value 1.
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1928 D. R. Hartree in Proc. Cambr. Philos. Soc. 24 91 It is convenient to express quantities in terms of units, which may be called ‘atomic units’.
1976 Nature 16 Sept. 191/2 The very large dimensionless ratio which one obtains by expressing the age of the universe in atomic units of some sort.
2007 Chem. Physics 335 218/1 In the above equations atomic units are applied throughout.
atomic volume n. Physics the ratio of the atomic weight of an element or compound to its relative density (formerly regarded as proportional to the actual volume occupied by an atom).
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the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [noun] > atoms > atomic volume
atomic volume1839
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > [noun] > atomic mass > in proportion to weight
atomic volume1839
1839 J. Pereira Elements Materia Medica I. 102 [Oxygen.] Its atomic weight is 8: its atomic volume 0.5.
1861 J. A. Porter Princ. Chem. App. 443 In comparing atomic volumes it is assumed that the space which a body occupies is completely filled by the atoms, without intervening spaces.
1938 R. W. Lawson tr. G. von Hevesy & F. A. Paneth Man. Radioactivity (ed. 2) xv. 150 The atomic volumes of the two elements are equal.
1995 P. W. Atkins Periodic Kingdom 84 (caption) A modern (and more complete) version of Julius Lothar Meyer's plot of atomic volume of the elements. He plotted the values against atomic weight; here we have plotted them against atomic number.
atomic wedgie n. slang (originally U.S.) an act of pulling the back of a person's underpants upward sharply until the waistband is stretched up to or over the person's head, esp. as a practical joke (cf. wedgie n.2).
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1991 L. Charles Seinfeld (transcribed from TV programme) 3rd Ser. Episode 5 [Elaine] Why do they call it a wedgie? [George] Because the underwear is pulled up from the back until it wedges in. [Jerry] They also have an atomic wedgie. Now the goal there is to actually get the waistband on top of the head.
2002 Contra Costa (Calif.) Times (Nexis) 3 Mar. a25 On the first day of school, he was terrified of getting duct-taped and thrown in a garbage can or of suffering the indignity of an ‘atomic wedgie’.
2012 Gympie (Queensland) Times (Nexis) 27 Apr. 8 One bloke..received an atomic wedgie early in the evening which annihilated his underwear.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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