radium

noun

ra·​di·​um ˈrā-dē-əm 

often attributive

: an intensely radioactive metallic chemical element that occurs in combination in minute quantities in minerals (such as pitchblende or carnotite), emits alpha particles and gamma rays to form radon, and is used chiefly in the treatment of cancer and in radiographic devices see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of radium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Exposure to high levels of radium can result in adverse health conditions like anemia, cataracts, fractured teeth, cancer (especially bone cancer) and death, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025

The stress of being a loyal husband and father while toiling tirelessly at Spacely Space Sprockets – headed by a domineering man with a Napoleon complex – seems to float away as the zooming saucer-like aero cars with large bubble roofs leave behind popcorn-like residue from fuel pellets and radium. —Natasha Gural, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

On this day in 1898: Marie and Pierre Curie first isolated radium, research that led to them receiving half of a 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics along with Henri Becquerel, who discovered radioactivity in 1896. —Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 26 Dec. 2024

The corporation denied that radium caused the cancer and fought lawsuits brought by the workers. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin radius ray

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing radium

• radium therapy

Kids Definition

radium

noun

ra·​di·​um ˈrād-ē-əm 

: a strongly radioactive shining white metallic element that is chemically similar to barium, occurs in combination in very small quantities in minerals (as pitchblende), and is used in the treatment of cancer see element

Medical Definition

radium

noun

ra·​di·​um ˈrād-ē-əm 

often attributive

: an intensely radioactive shining white metallic element that resembles barium chemically, that occurs in combination in minute quantities in minerals (as pitchblende or carnotite) principally as the isotope of mass number 226 formed from uranium 238, having a half-life of 1620 years, and emitting alpha particles and gamma rays to form radon, and that is used chiefly in luminous materials and in the treatment of cancer

—symbol Ra see Chemical Elements Table