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noun B2 Upper-Intermediate

radium

RAY-dih-uhm
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Radium (noun) means a rare, highly radioactive metallic chemical element (symbol Ra). Example: “Marie Curie won a Nobel Prize for her discovery of radium.”

noun
1
A rare, highly radioactive metallic chemical element (symbol Ra).
"Marie Curie won a Nobel Prize for her discovery of radium."
"The U.S. radium dial painters of the 1920s comprised an early cohort of several thousand workers at increased risk of developing radiation induced cancers." — Charles L. Sanders, Accidents, Tests, and Incidents (2010)
"Well, remember how the children of the State Orphanage became mysteriously ill? The doctors diagnosed it as radium poisoning, but how it happened was a first class mystery to them. There's no radium factory within miles of the orphanage." — , Mass Murder by Radioactive Salt (1940)

How to use radium

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA dangerously radioactive metal element, famous for its role in early radioactivity research.

Common pairings
discovery of radium radium poisoning
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Word forms

Plural
radiums
Third person singular
radiums
Past tense
radiumed
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

Marie Curie won a Nobel Prize for her discovery of _____.

Etymology

Borrowed from French radium, built from "radio(actif)" ("radioactive") plus the element-naming suffix "-ium".

Origin: French

Ra atomic number 88

Related words

Rhymes for radium

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Frequently asked questions

What does “radium” mean?
The word “radium” means a rare, highly radioactive metallic chemical element (symbol Ra). In plain terms, a dangerously radioactive metal element, famous for its role in early radioactivity research.
How do you pronounce “radium”?
“Radium” is pronounced RAY-dih-uhm (/ˈɹeɪ.di.əm/ in IPA).
How do you use “radium” in a sentence?
Here is “radium” used in a sentence: “Marie Curie won a Nobel Prize for her discovery of radium.”
What part of speech is “radium”?
“Radium” is a noun.
Where does the word “radium” come from?
The word “radium” comes from French. Borrowed from French radium, built from "radio(actif)" ("radioactive") plus the element-naming suffix "-ium".

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