: an intensely radioactive metallic chemical element that occurs in combination in minute quantities in minerals (such as pitchblende or carnotite), emits alpha particles and gamma rays to form radon, and is used chiefly in the treatment of cancer and in radiographic devices see Chemical Elements Table
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebAs these elements decay, uranium (No. 92 on the periodic table) degrades to radium (No. 88), which in turn degrades into radon (No. 86). Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 20 May 2022 In suburban Philadelphia’s Moorestown at the North Church Street Water Treatment Plant, where officials unveiled the funding Friday, about $20 million will cover new filters to remove radium and other toxins from water. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 24 May 2022 Radon occurs naturally in the presence of radioactive elements, such as uranium and radium. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 20 May 2022 In 2019, the Lake County Public Works Department issued a letter to Lake Zurich asking the village to remove radium produced by its ion exchange process from the wastewater stream sent to Lake County, according to Village Manager Ray Keller. Elizabeth Owens-schiele, chicagotribune.com, 8 Mar. 2022 Why Marie: The first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Physics, Marie Curie is best known for her discovery of both polonium and radium, as well as fundamentally changing our understanding of radioactivity. Yola Robert, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022 At present, the local system filters the radium and it’s safe to drink. Jesse Wright, chicagotribune.com, 2 Feb. 2022 This 14 by 14 inch, over-the-counter device takes minutes to set up and removes 83 contaminants, such as lead, chromium, copper, radium, chlorine, and more. Kayla Hui, Health.com, 6 Jan. 2022 Other notorious patent medicines common in this era include Radithor, a radioactive tonic made from dissolved radium. David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Nov. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Latin radius ray
First Known Use
1899, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing radium
radium therapy
radium therapy
Kids Definition
radium
noun
ra·di·um ˈrā-dē-əm
: a strongly radioactive element found in very small quantities in various minerals (as pitchblende) and used in the treatment of cancer
Medical Definition
radium
noun
ra·di·um ˈrād-ē-əm
often attributive
: an intensely radioactive shining white metallic element that resembles barium chemically, that occurs in combination in minute quantities in minerals (as pitchblende or carnotite) principally as the isotope of mass number 226 formed from uranium 238, having a half-life of 1620 years, and emitting alpha particles and gamma rays to form radon, and that is used chiefly in luminous materials and in the treatment of cancer—symbol Ra see Chemical Elements Table