deuterium

[ doo-teer-ee-uh m, dyoo- ]

/ duˈtɪər i əm, dyu- /

noun Chemistry.

an isotope of hydrogen, having twice the mass of ordinary hydrogen; heavy hydrogen. Symbol: D; atomic weight: 2.01; atomic number: 1.

Nearby words

deuter-, deuteragonist, deuteranopia, deuterate, deuteride, deuterium, deuterium oxide, deutero-, deuterocanonical, deuterocanonical books, deuterogamy

Origin of deuterium

1933; < Greek deúter(os) second (see deutero-) + -ium

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

Examples from the Web for deuterium

From that, they extracted the ratio of the number of deuterium atoms to the number of hydrogen atoms.
Are Comets the Origin of Earth’s Oceans?|Matthew R. Francis|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen containing a proton and neutron in its nucleus, while normal hydrogen has only a proton.
Are Comets the Origin of Earth’s Oceans?|Matthew R. Francis|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, even that ginormous difference still shows about three times the amount of deuterium than we see on our planet.
Are Comets the Origin of Earth’s Oceans?|Matthew R. Francis|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One chemical test involves measuring the relative amount of deuterium in water.
Are Comets the Origin of Earth’s Oceans?|Matthew R. Francis|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Then, for a considerably higher price, he would undertake to collect a sample of the deuterium they were using.
The Caves of Fear|John Blaine
Well, heavy water is made of one atom of oxygen plus two atoms of deuterium, which is the first isotope of hydrogen.
The Caves of Fear|John Blaine

British Dictionary definitions for deuterium

deuterium

/ (djuːˈtɪərɪəm) /

noun

a stable isotope of hydrogen, occurring in natural hydrogen (156 parts per million) and in heavy water: used as a tracer in chemistry and biology. Symbol: D or ²H; atomic no: 1; atomic wt: 2.014; boiling pt: –249.7°C

Word Origin for deuterium

C20: New Latin; see deutero-, -ium; from the fact that it is the second heaviest hydrogen isotope

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

Word Origin and History for deuterium

deuterium

1933, coined by U.S. chemist Harold C. Urey, with Modern Latin ending + Greek deuterion, neuter of deuterios "having second place," from deuteros "second," from duo (see two). So called because it is twice the mass of hydrogen.

Medicine definitions for deuterium

deuterium

[ dōō-tîr′ē-əm ]

n.

An isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron in the nucleus having an atomic weight of 2.014.heavy hydrogen hydrogen-2

Science definitions for deuterium

deuterium

[ dōō-tîr′ē-əm ]

An isotope of hydrogen whose nucleus has one proton and one neutron and whose atomic mass is 2. Deuterium is used widely as a tracer for analyzing chemical reactions, and it combines with oxygen to form heavy water. Also called heavy hydrogen See Note at heavy water.