carbon 14

American  

Also carbon-14

noun

1. radiocarbon.

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carbon 14 Scientific  

1. A naturally occurring radioactive isotope of carbon having six protons and eight neutrons in the nucleus. Carbon 14 is important in dating archaeological and biological remains by radiocarbon dating.

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carbon 14 Cultural  

1. A radioactive isotope of carbon. A carbon 14 atom contains six protons, six electrons, and eight neutrons. Carbon 14 is produced when neutrons bombard atoms of nitrogen.

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Discover More

Carbon 14 is used in a common form of radioactive dating to determine the age of ancient objects.

Etymology

Origin of carbon 14

First recorded in 1935–40

Compare meaning

How does carbon-14 compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• carbon 12 vs. carbon 14

Example Sentences

The scientists then measured carbon 14 levels in buried asunaro wood recovered from Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

This method can detect much smaller carbon 14 fluctuations than conventional techniques, making it possible to identify weaker "sub-extreme" solar proton events that were previously invisible.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

They found that both carbon 14 and beryllium 10 shot up at the same time.

From Scientific American • Oct. 19, 2023

Tipped off by earlier research suggesting a pronounced increase in atmospheric carbon 14 some time in the late eighth century, Miyake began examining individual tree rings dating from C.E.

From Scientific American • Mar. 6, 2023

This method is based on the slow decay of radioactive carbon 14, a very minor component of carbon, the ubiquitous building block of life, into the nonradioactive isotope nitrogen 14.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond