curium

[ kyoo r-ee-uh m ]
/ ˈkyʊər i əm /

noun

a radioactive element not found in nature but discovered in 1944 among the products of plutonium after bombardment by high-energy helium ions. Symbol: Cm; atomic number: 96.

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Origin of curium

1946; < New Latin; named after M. and P. Curie; see -ium

Words nearby curium

curiosity, curiosity killed the cat, curious, curite, curitiba, curium, curl, curl one's hair, curl up, curled paperwork, curler
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for curium

British Dictionary definitions for curium

curium
/ (ˈkjʊərɪəm) /

noun

a silvery-white metallic transuranic element artificially produced from plutonium. Symbol: Cm; atomic no: 96; half-life of most stable isotope, 247 Cm: 1.6 x 10 7 years; valency: 3 and 4; relative density: 13.51 (calculated); melting pt: 1345±400°C

Word Origin for curium

C20: New Latin, named after Pierre and Marie Curie
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

Medical definitions for curium

curium
[ kyur′ē-əm ]

n. Symbol Cm

A metallic synthetic radioactive transuranic element whose longest-lived isotope is Cm 247, with a half-life of 16.4 million years. Atomic number 96.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for curium

curium
[ kyur′ē-əm ]

Cm

A synthetic, silvery-white, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series that is produced artificially from plutonium or americium. Curium isotopes are used to provide electricity for satellites and space probes. Its most stable isotope has a half-life of 16.4 million years. Atomic number 96; melting point (estimated) 1,350°C; valence 3. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.