radioisotope

noun

ra·​dio·​iso·​tope ˌrā-dē-ō-ˈī-sə-ˌtōp How to pronounce radioisotope (audio)
: a radioactive isotope
radioisotopic adjective

Examples of radioisotope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Especially challenging were very specific military requirements regarding the half-life of the radioisotopes that would be dispersed by the weapons and the intensity of radioactivity emitted. William C. Potter, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2023 As the film depicts, Oppenheimer really did humiliate Strauss in front of Congress when the two men disagreed about exporting radioisotopes, a scene that is taken largely verbatim from the book. Vulture, 25 July 2023 The Apollo lunar landing missions also had nuclear generators on board; the ALSEPs used radioisotope thermoelectric generators to power some of the surface experiments. Amy Shira Teitel, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2019 Powered by nuclear radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), both probes should be able to continue to operate for several more years. Doug Adler, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2018 Every year their batteries lose up to 4 watts of power due to the decay of plutonium-238, the radioisotope that fuels them. Sumeet Kulkarni, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2022 Though the presence of this radioisotope in sediment does not neatly translate into contamination in soil or food, the finding does suggest the possibility of danger to ecosystems and people. Hart Rapaport, Scientific American, 4 Apr. 2022 Job description: Prepare, administer, and measure radioactive isotopes in therapeutic, diagnostic, and tracer studies using a variety of radioisotope equipment. Zachary Smith, cleveland, 29 Mar. 2022 Personnel remain at the facility, which is used for research, development and radioisotope production for medical and industrial applications. NBC News, 18 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'radioisotope.' 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

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of radioisotope was in 1938

Dictionary Entries Near radioisotope

Cite this Entry

“Radioisotope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radioisotope. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

radioisotope

noun
ra·​dio·​iso·​tope ˌrād-ē-ō-ˈī-sə-ˌtōp How to pronounce radioisotope (audio)
: a radioactive isotope

Medical Definition

radioisotope

noun
ra·​dio·​iso·​tope ˌrād-ē-ō-ˈī-sə-ˌtōp How to pronounce radioisotope (audio)
: a radioactive isotope compare radioelement
radioisotopic adjective
radioisotopically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on radioisotope

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