polonium
/pəˈləʊnɪəm
/noun [mass noun]
The chemical element of atomic number 84, a radioactive metal occurring in nature only as a product of radioactive decay of uranium. (Symbol: Po) In the process, she discovered two new elements that are millions and billions of times more radioactive than uranium: radium and polonium....
- Gentry had discovered that granites contain microscopic coloration halos produced by the radioactive decay of primordial polonium.
- Radon can enter the body through the lungs, where it undergoes alpha decay to form polonium, a radioactive solid that remains in the lungs and continues to emit cancer-causing radiation.
Origin
Late 19th century: modern Latin, from medieval Latin Polonia 'Poland' (the native country of Marie Curie, the element's co-discoverer).
Rhymes
- psychological
- psychological autopsy
- psychological block
- psychological hedonism
- psychological hedonist
- psychologicalism
- psychologically
- psychological moment
- psychological novel
- psychological novelist
- psychological operations
- psychological profile
- psychological profiler
- psychological profiling
- psychological thriller
- psychological war
- psychological warfare
- psychological weapon
- psychologics
- psychologisation
- psychologise
- psychologiser
- psychologism
- psychologist
- psychologistic