berkelium

noun

berke·​li·​um ˈbər-klē-əm How to pronounce berkelium (audio)
: a radioactive metallic element produced artificially (as by bombarding americium 241 with alpha particles) see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of berkelium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But there’s another factor at play that makes the time seem more urgent: the half-life of the radioactive source element berkelium. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Mar. 2023 As part of the discovery team, Phelps purified the element berkelium to create a film – a painstaking, monthslong process. Charli Leevongcharoen, CNN, 7 Feb. 2023 The most recent elemental advance came last year when nuclear scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research in Germany bombarded a lump of 97-proton berkelium with a beam of 20-proton calcium ions. Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, 22 Jan. 2015

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Berkeley, California

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of berkelium was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near berkelium

Cite this Entry

“Berkelium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berkelium. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

berkelium

noun
berke·​li·​um ˈbər-kle-əm How to pronounce berkelium (audio)
: an artificially prepared radioactive chemical element see element

Medical Definition

berkelium

noun
berke·​li·​um ˈbər-klē-əm How to pronounce berkelium (audio)
: a radioactive metallic element produced by bombarding americium 241 with helium ions
symbol Bk
see Chemical Elements Table

More from Merriam-Webster on berkelium

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!