superheavy

American  

[soo-per-hev-ee] / ˌsu pərˈhɛv i /

adjective

superheavier, superheaviest

1. Chemistry, Physics. pertaining to any of a series of elements having an atomic number greater than 103.

2. heavier than usual for its kind.

   a superheavy oil; superheavy magnetic monopoles.

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superheavy British  

/ ˌsuːpəˈhɛvɪ /

adjective

1. physics denoting or relating to elements of high atomic number (above 109) postulated to exist with special stability as a consequence of the shell model of the nucleus

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Etymology

Origin of superheavy

First recorded in 1820–30; super- ( def. ) + heavy ( def. )

Example Sentences

This superheavy element would be something entirely new to our planet.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2025

This leads to a revision of the superheavy landscape in two important ways.

From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2024

This led to the notion of a so-called island of stability of superheavy nuclei separated from uranium and its neighbors by a sea of instability.

From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2024

The researchers’ mathematical analysis showed how any object with mass—and not just a superheavy one such as that of a black hole—affects the pairs of particles and antiparticles that emerge from the vacuum of space.

From Scientific American • Jun. 22, 2023

Teller believed a promising option to fuel a Super bomb would be to use tritium, a superheavy isotope of hydrogen.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik