fissile

[ fis-uhl ]

/ ˈfɪs əl /

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adjective

capable of being split or divided; cleavable.

Physics.

fissionable.
(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, fissionable, fission bomb, fission-fusion bomb, fission, nuclear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fissile in a sentence

North Korea claims to have converted the fissile material into nuclear weapons.
How Close Is North Korea to a Nuclear Missile?|Naoko Aoki|March 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We strongly support the early commencement of negotiations on a verifiable Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.
How to End the Nuclear Threat|The Daily Beast|June 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Cybersecurity is not like protecting a cannon or some nuclear fissile material.
Obama's Internet Misfire|Douglas Rushkoff|May 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The cliffs of this island are composed of a fissile primitive rock, on which sandstone reposes in regular beds.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King

This mineral is fissile, and moderately hard, which renders it fit for their peculiar ripe sculptures.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
The grits are of a fissile character, and are quarried extensively for flag-stone, ashlers, and fire-stone.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
It is readily fissile, like slate, but powerfully resists the cross fracture, which is conchoidal.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
Slate′-axe, a slater's tool, a sax; Slate′-clay, a fissile shale.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

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