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

See Examples For:

radiocarbon

These naturally occurring minerals can produce dark pigments, but they do not contain the organic carbon needed for radiocarbon dating.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

By combining chemical imaging with highly sensitive radiocarbon measurements, the team has developed a method that could be applied to other prehistoric figures previously considered undatable.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Researchers supplied the model with a 1,000-year earthquake history reconstructed from geological evidence, including radiocarbon dating, tree ring records, and historical observations of ground ruptures.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

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

Are the reported radiocarbon dates really correct, and not invalidated by any of the numerous difficulties that can plague radiocarbon dating?

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond