polonium Hear it!

polonium definition

po·lo·nium (pə lō′nē əm)

noun

a radioactive, nonmetallic chemical element formed naturally by the disintegration of radium or synthetically by the neutron irradiation of bismuth followed by beta decay: used as a power source in space satellites, as an aid in inducing electric discharges, etc.: symbol, Po; at. no., 84

Etymology: ModL: so named (1898) by its co-discoverer Marie Curie, after her native land, Poland (ML Polonia) + -ium

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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