radiocarbon

American  

[rey-dee-oh-kahr-buhn] / ˌreɪ di oʊˈkɑr bən /

noun

Chemistry.

1. Also called carbon 14.  a radioactive isotope of carbon with mass number 14 and a half-life of about 5730 years: widely used in the dating of organic materials.

2. any radioactive isotope of carbon.

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radiocarbon British  

/ ˌreɪdɪəʊˈkɑːbən /

noun

1. a radioactive isotope of carbon, esp carbon-14 See carbon

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radiocarbon Scientific  

/ rā′dē-ō-kär′bən /

1. A radioactive isotope of carbon, especially carbon 14. Other radiocarbons include carbon 10, carbon 11, carbon 15, and carbon 16.

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Etymology

Origin of radiocarbon

First recorded in 1935–40; radio- + carbon

Example Sentences

The team used radiocarbon dating, which looks at how a special form of carbon changes over time, to work out that the structure was 5,000 years old.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

Researchers determined the timing using radiocarbon dating and tree ring evidence from trees that died following an earthquake.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

Reassessing older radiocarbon dates and improving climate reconstructions allowed scientists to better pinpoint when shifts from cold to warm conditions occurred.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

Using radiocarbon dating along with genetic and protein testing, the team confirmed that the Late Bronze Age specimens are the oldest goat remains yet identified in Ireland.

From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2026

Willard Libby was in the process of inventing radiocarbon dating, allowing scientists to get an accurate reading of the age of bones and other organic remains, something they had never been able to do before.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson