nihonium

[nee-haw-nee-uhm]

noun

Chemistry, Physics.

1. a superheavy, synthetic, radioactive element with a short half-life. Nh; 113.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nihonium¹

Named in 2016 ; after Nihon ( def. ) + -ium ( def. )

Example Sentences

When nihonium was officially added to the periodic table, in 2016, Crown Prince Naruhito was deeply moved: at a special ceremony, he reminisced about copying the periodic table by hand as a boy.

Read more on The New Yorker

Japan discovered its first element, nihonium, No. 113, in 2004, and Chapman reports that Japanese children read mangas dramatizing the work of the country’s top nuclear physicist, Kosuke Morita.

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Nihonium gets a manga-style treatment, and Krypton’s name is written by a lighted tube.

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Please welcome to the periodic table: nihonium, moscovium, tennessine and oganesson.

Read more on Seattle Times

Please welcome to the periodic table: Nihonium, Moscovium, Tennessine and Oganesson.

Read more on New York Times