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.

Nearby words

curiosity killed the cat, curious, curiously, curite, curitiba, curium, curl, curl one's hair, curl up, curled paperwork, curledly

Origin of curium

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curium

Some candlesticks found in the Treasury of Curium,878 and a tripod from the same place, seem to deserve a short notice.
History of Phoenicia|George Rawlinson
The natives of Curium made it a rule to destroy all such, under an appearance of a religious rite.
A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume II. (of VI.)|Jacob Bryant
The most splendid of all the Cyprian vases was found at Curium, and has been already represented in this volume.
History of Phoenicia|George Rawlinson
In fig. 180 the statue of this goddess is shown, which he says was found by himself in 1884 at Curium.
The Swastika|Thomas Wilson

"Conduct them here, Matten," he commanded, and took up his station beside an hundred-branched candlestick made in Curium.
Romance Island|Zona Gale

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

Medicine 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.

Science 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.