ionization potential

American

noun

Physics.

the energy required to remove an electron from an atom.

ionization potential British

noun

I. the energy usually required to remove an electron from an atom, molecule, or radical, usually measured in electronvolts Compare electron affinity

"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

Etymology

Origin of ionization potential

First recorded in 1910–15

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023