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: a heavy colorless and relatively inert gaseous element that occurs in air as about one part in 20 million and is used especially in specialized electric lamps (such as flash tubes) and in scientific research see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of xenon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Psyche will launch with 2,392 pounds of xenon in seven 22-gallon tanks.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2023
The headlights, unique to the Turbo, arch down into the bumper and utilize xenon illumination for high- and low-beam lighting.
—Peter Robinson, Car and Driver, 23 July 2023
The experiment basically relies on the scientists exposing their detector to a massive amount of xenon atoms, roughly 3.2 tons of liquid xenon.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 7 July 2022
The latest is from XENON100, a liquid-xenon scintillation detector under the mountain in Gran Sasso, Italy.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 20 July 2012
Other colors can come from things like LED billboards or high-intensity xenon lights on deep-sea oil platforms and fishing boats.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 20 Dec. 2016
By contrast, LightStrike robots have a powerful xenon UV-C light source capable of damaging the DNA and RNA of viruses in a matter of minutes.
—Dalvin Brown, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2020
Vast night vision camera is an accessory worth consideration — especially if your father’s vehicle happens to be an older model and not equipped with the latest lighting technology like high-intensity xenon or LED headlights.
—Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, 19 June 2020
Lauched in 2011, their LightStrike robot’s pulsed xenon lamp shoots intense UV light in millisecond flashes, deactivating a whole range of microbes, including bacteria, spores, fungi and viruses.
—Dinsa Sachan, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'xenon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Greek, neuter of xenos strange
First Known Use
1898, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near xenon
Cite this Entry
“Xenon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenon. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
: a heavy, colorless, and relatively inert gaseous element that occurs in air as about one part in 20 million by volume
—symbol Xe
see Chemical Elements Table
More from Merriam-Webster on xenon
Nglish: Translation of xenon for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about xenon
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