curie
a unit of activity of radioactive substances equivalent to 3.70 × 1010 disintegrations per second: it is approximately the amount of activity produced by 1 gram of radium-226. Abbreviation: Ci
Origin of curie
1Other definitions for Curie (2 of 2)
I·rène [French ee-ren]. /French iˈrɛn/. Joliot-Curie, Irène.
Ma·rie [muh-ree; French ma-ree], /məˈri; French maˈri/, 1867–1934, Polish physicist and chemist in France: codiscoverer of radium 1898; Nobel Prize in Physics 1903, for chemistry 1911.
her husband, Pierre [pee-air; French pyer], /piˈɛər; French pyɛr/, 1859–1906, French physicist and chemist: codiscoverer of radium; Nobel Prize in Physics 1903.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use curie in a sentence
The movie even eerily predicted the incident, which resulted in the release of 13 million curies of radioactive gases.
Tom Cruise’s ‘Jack Reacher’ & More Ill-Timed Movies (VIDEO) | Marlow Stern | December 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTOf particular concern: cesium-137 in the pool, at levels Alvarez estimates at 20 million to 50 million curies.
He came here four years ago and settled at Curies on the upper James River.
The Real America in Romance, Volume 6; | John R. MusickRadium, according to the recent estimate of the Curies, would be disintegrating over a million times more rapidly than uranium.
A History of Science, Volume 5(of 5) | Henry Smith WilliamsThe Curies now woke to find not only Paris but the world ringing with the fame of their discovery.
Heroines of Service | Mary Rosetta Parkman
The Curies have had to manufacture all they themselves have used.
Boys' Second Book of Inventions | Ray Stannard BakerDavy gold medal of the Royal Society awarded to the Curies, 227.
Woman in Science | John Augustine Zahm
British Dictionary definitions for curie (1 of 2)
/ (ˈkjʊərɪ, -riː) /
a unit of radioactivity that is equal to 3.7 × 10 10 disintegrations per second: Symbol: Ci
Origin of curie
1British Dictionary definitions for Curie (2 of 2)
/ (ˈkjʊərɪ, -riː, French kyri) /
Marie (mari). 1867–1934, French physicist and chemist, born in Poland: discovered with her husband Pierre the radioactivity of thorium, and discovered and isolated radium and polonium. She shared a Nobel prize for physics (1903) with her husband and Henri Becquerel, and was awarded a Nobel prize for chemistry (1911)
her husband, Pierre (pjɛr). 1859–1906, French physicist and chemist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for curie (1 of 2)
[ kyur′ē, kyu-rē′ ]
A unit used to measure the rate of radioactive decay. Radioactive decay is measured by the rate at which the atoms making up a radioactive substance are transformed into different atoms. One curie is equal to 37 billion (3.7 X 1010) of these transformations per second. Many scientists now measure radioactive decay in becquerels rather than curies.
Scientific definitions for Curie (2 of 2)
Polish-born French chemist who pioneered research into radioactivity. Following Antoine Henri Becquerel's discovery of radioactivity, she investigated uranium with her husband, Pierre Curie (1859-1906). Together they discovered the elements radium and polonium. Marie Curie later isolated pure radium and developed the use of radioactivity in medicine.
biography For Curie
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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