deuterium
noun
deu·te·ri·um
dü-ˈtir-ē-əm 
also dyü-
: an isotope of hydrogen that has one proton and one neutron in its nucleus and that has twice the mass of ordinary hydrogen
—symbol D
called also heavy hydrogen
Examples of deuterium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While deuterium is very common and obtained from water, tritium is very rare.
—
Sophie Blondel, The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2024
Most approaches to fusion seek to mash together the heavy isotopes of hydrogen—deuterium and tritium—to produce helium and an energetic neutron.
—Adrian Cho, science.org, 18 July 2024
Mars and Earth started out with the same ratio of deuterium to hydrogen in their water, but over the epochs that Mars has been drying, the greater loss of light hydrogen to space has thrown that ratio off.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 6 Sep. 2024
But unlike large gas giant planets like Jupiter, brown dwarfs are massive enough to induce the fusion of deuterium, which is an isotope of hydrogen (deuterium is made of one proton, one neutron, and one electron, while hydrogen is just one proton and one electron).
—Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deuterium 
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.
Sophie Blondel, The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2024
Most approaches to fusion seek to mash together the heavy isotopes of hydrogen—deuterium and tritium—to produce helium and an energetic neutron.
—Adrian Cho, science.org, 18 July 2024
Mars and Earth started out with the same ratio of deuterium to hydrogen in their water, but over the epochs that Mars has been drying, the greater loss of light hydrogen to space has thrown that ratio off.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 6 Sep. 2024
But unlike large gas giant planets like Jupiter, brown dwarfs are massive enough to induce the fusion of deuterium, which is an isotope of hydrogen (deuterium is made of one proton, one neutron, and one electron, while hydrogen is just one proton and one electron).
—Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deuterium
Dictionary Entries Near deuterium
Cite this Entry
“Deuterium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deuterium. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deuterium
noun
deu·te·ri·um
d(y)ü-ˈtir-ē-əm
: the hydrogen isotope that is twice the mass of ordinary hydrogen
called also heavy hydrogen
Medical Definition
deuterium
noun
deu·te·ri·um
d(y)ü-ˈtir-ē-əm
: an isotope of hydrogen that has one proton and one neutron in its nucleus and that has twice the mass of ordinary hydrogen
called also heavy hydrogen
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share