radon
/ˈɹeɪdɒn/ noun, proper noun
- noun (chemistry) The chemical element (symbol Rn, formerly Ro) with atomic number 86. It is an odorless, colorless, chemically inert but radioactive noble gas.
- noun (countable) An atom of this element.
- noun Radon-222 (22286Rn), the most stable isotope of said element.
- proper noun A surname from German.
- proper noun Johann Radon (1887-1956), an Austrian mathematician with results in measure theory, functional analysis and geometry.
Synonyms
exradio radeon radium emanation emanation niton Rn atomic number 86
Etymology
Contraction of radium emanation, since the element appears in the radioactive decay of radium. By surface analysis, radio- + -on (“suffix for noble gases”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “radon”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details