Rutherford

American  

[ruhth-er-ferd, ruhth-] / ˈrʌð ər fərd, ˈrʌθ- /

noun

1. Daniel, 1749–1819, Scottish physician and chemist: discoverer of nitrogen.

2. Ernest 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, 1871–1937, English physicist, born in New Zealand: Nobel Prize in chemistry 1908.

3. John Sherman Johnny, born 1938, U.S. racing-car driver.

4. Joseph Franklin, 1869–1942, U.S. leader of Jehovah's Witnesses.

5. Dame Margaret, 1892–1972, British actress.

6. a city in NE New Jersey.

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Rutherford ¹ British  

/ ˈrʌðəfəd /

noun

1. Ernest , 1st Baron. 1871–1937, British physicist, born in New Zealand, who discovered the atomic nucleus (1909). Nobel prize for chemistry 1908

2. Dame Margaret . 1892–1972, British stage and screen actress. Her films include Passport to Pimlico (1949), Murder She Said (1962), and The VIPs (1963)

3. Mark , original name William Hale White . 1831–1913, British novelist and writer, whose work deals with his religious uncertainties: best known for The Autobiography of Mark Rutherford (1881) and the novel The Revolution in Tanner's Lane (1887)

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rutherford ² British  

/ ˈrʌðəfəd /

noun

1.  rd.  a unit of activity equal to the quantity of a radioactive nuclide required to produce one million disintegrations per second

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Rutherford Scientific  

/ rŭth′ər-fərd /

1. New Zealand-born British physicist who was a pioneer of subatomic physics. He discovered the atomic nucleus and named the proton. Rutherford demonstrated that radioactive elements give off three types of rays, which he named alpha, beta, and gamma, and invented the term half-life to measure the rate of radioactive decay. For this work he was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1908.

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Etymology

Origin of rutherford

C20: named after Ernest _Rutherford

Example Sentences

The newly discovered Ξcc⁺ is part of the same family as the proton, which was first identified in Manchester by Ernest Rutherford and colleagues between 1917-1919.

From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026

Largely due to Rutherford the West Indies scored 68 runs off the last four overs.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Harry Kane will have particularly good memories heading into the meeting on 27 June in East Rutherford or Philadelphia.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

Then it's off to East Rutherford for the final on July 19.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

I managed to thread the needle between Rutherford and Trouvelot nicely.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir