ionizing radiation

American  

noun

Physics.

1. any radiation, as a stream of alpha particles or x-rays, that produces ionization as it passes through a medium.

---

ionizing radiation British  

noun

1. electromagnetic or corpuscular radiation that is able to cause ionization

---

Etymology

Origin of ionizing radiation

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

"Did the sudden environmental shift select for species, or even individuals within a species, that are naturally more resistant to ionizing radiation?"

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2024

Portable X-ray equipment works in the same way as the big, fixed machines in radiology departments in hospitals - the image is created by a targeted burst of ionizing radiation.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2024

But human skin partly blocks ionizing radiation, Richmond says.

From Scientific American • Jun. 23, 2023

“If one human absorbs a bit of ionizing radiation, then this bit of radiation is no longer available to affect another human,” he wrote in an email.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2023

Remember how ionizing radiation breaks apart the bonds in molecules?

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland