China syndrome
noun
a hypothetical nuclear-reactor accident in which the fuel would melt through the floor of the containment structure and burrow into the earth.
QUIZZES
BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!
Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
Origin of China syndrome
First recorded in 1970–75; from the jocular notion that the hot reactor core would pass through to the other side of the earth
Words nearby China syndrome
Chinandega, China rose, China Sea, China silk, china stone, China syndrome, Chinatown, China tree, chinaware, China White, chin ball
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020