a synthetic element produced in small quantities by high-energy ion bombardment. Symbol: Hs; atomic no: 108
Word origin
C20: from Latin, from Hesse, German state where it was discovered
hassium in American English
(ˈhæsiəm)
noun
a radioactive chemical element with a very short half-life: a transactinide produced by bombarding lead with high-energy nuclear particles: symbol, Hs: at. no., 108
Word origin
ModL, after the L name for Hesse2, where new elements were created in a nuclear physics laboratory + -ium