polonium
UK /pəˈləʊ.nɪ.əm/ · US /pəˈloʊ.ni.əm/ noun
Forms poloniums
- noun (chemistry) A rare, highly radioactive chemical element (symbol Po) with atomic number 84.
- noun (countable) An atom of this element.
Synonyms
Etymology
From New Latin polonium, from Medieval Latin Polonia (“Poland”), named after Marie Curie's homeland.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A supposed new element, a radioactive substance discovered by M. and MMe. Curie in pitchblende. It is closely related chemically to bismuth. It emits only alpha rays and is perhaps identical with radium F.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “polonium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details