nihonium

American  

[nee-haw-nee-uhm] / niˈhɔ ni əm /

noun

Chemistry, Physics.

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

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Etymology

Origin of nihonium

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

Example Sentences

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.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 27, 2019

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.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 27, 2019

We mentioned that nihonium has a half-life of about 20 seconds.

From Slate • Jun. 17, 2016