promethium

noun

pro·​me·​thi·​um prə-ˈmē-thē-əm 

: a radioactive metallic element of the rare-earth group obtained as a fission product of uranium or from neutron-irradiated neodymium see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of promethium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yttrium is twice as abundant as lead; all of the rare-earth metals (with the exception of radioactive promethium) are more common than silver. —Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2011

Carl Sagan and Iosef Shklovskii, along with Frank Drake, had raised the idea of looking for radioactive elements like promethium in stars as a possible alien signal. —Corey S Powell, Discover Magazine, 1 July 2017

One promethium isotope, with eighty-eight neutrons, has a half-life of a few days; the other, with eighty-six neutrons, has a half-life of a few years. —Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2019

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin Prometheus

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

promethium

noun

pro·​me·​thi·​um prə-ˈmē-thē-əm 

: a radioactive metallic element obtained from the splitting of uranium atoms see element

Medical Definition

promethium

noun

pro·​me·​thi·​um prə-ˈmē-thē-əm 

: a radioactive metallic element of the rare-earth group obtained as a fission product of uranium or from neutron-irradiated neodymium

—symbol Pm see Chemical Elements Table