nuclei
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of nuclei
< Latin nucleī, nominative plural of nucleus; see nucleus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New research led by scientists at Penn State and published in Physical Review Letters suggests that some of the highest-energy cosmic rays may be atomic nuclei heavier than iron.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
While conventional nuclear plants split heavy atoms in a process called fission, fusion does the opposite: It combines light atomic nuclei into heavier ones, releasing enormous energy without greenhouse-gas emissions or long-lived radioactive waste.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Atomic nuclei are the compact centers of atoms, made up of protons and neutrons.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
If the atomic nuclei in a lump of iron were scaled up to human size, for instance, how far apart would they be from each other?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Radium had passed its prime as an experimental source, for in its natural form, it did not produce particles with the energies necessary for probing heavy nuclei.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
