fissile

[ fis-uh l ]
/ ˈfɪs əl /

adjective

capable of being split or divided; cleavable.
Physics.
  1. fissionable.
  2. (of a nuclide) capable of undergoing fission induced by low-energy neutrons, as uranium 233 and 235.

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Origin of fissile

1655–65; < Latin fissilis, equivalent to fiss(us) (see fissi-) + -ilis -ile

OTHER WORDS FROM fissile

fis·sil·i·ty, nounnon·fis·sile, adjectivenon·fis·sil·i·ty, nounun·fis·sile, adjective

Words nearby fissile

fishworm, fishy, fisk, fiske, fissi-, fissile, fission, fission bomb, fission fungi, fission product, fission reactor
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for fissile

British Dictionary definitions for fissile

fissile
/ (ˈfɪsaɪl) /

adjective

British capable of undergoing nuclear fission as a result of the impact of slow neutrons
US and Canadian another word for fissionable
tending to split or capable of being split

Derived forms of fissile

fissility (fɪˈsɪlɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for fissile

C17: from Latin fissilis, from fissus split; see fissi-
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