plutonium
noun/pluːˈtəʊniəm/
/pluːˈtəʊniəm/
[uncountable] (symbol Pu)
- a chemical element. Plutonium is radioactive and is used in nuclear weapons and in producing nuclear energy.
- the capability to enrich uranium or reprocess plutonium
Extra ExamplesTopics Physics and chemistryc2- one ton of plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel
- the plane that dropped a plutonium bomb on the city of Nagasaki
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- radioactive
- weapons-grade
- extract
- produce
- recover
- …
- fuel
- production
- bomb
- …
Word Origin1940s: from Greek ‘Pluto’, on the pattern of neptunium, being the next planet beyond Neptune.Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
plutonium