technetium

[ tek-nee-shee-uhm, -shuhm ]

/ tɛkˈni ʃi əm, -ʃəm /

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noun

Chemistry. an element of the manganese family, not found in nature, but obtained in the fission of uranium or by the bombardment of molybdenum. Symbol: Tc; atomic weight: 99; atomic number: 43; specific gravity: 11.5.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of technetium

1945–50; <Greek technēt(ós) artificial (literally, made, verbid of technâsthai;see techno-) + -ium

Words nearby technetium

Tebow, tec, tech, techie, techlash, technetium, technetronic, technic, technical, technical area, technical college

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for technetium

technetium

/ (tɛkˈniːʃɪəm) /

noun

a silvery-grey metallic element, artificially produced by bombardment of molybdenum by deuterons: used to inhibit corrosion in steel. The radioisotope technetium-99m, with a half-life of six hours, is used in radiotherapy. Symbol: Tc; atomic no: 43; half-life of most stable isotope, 97 Tc: 2.6 × 10 6 years; valency: 0, 2, 4, 5, 6, or 7; relative density: 11.50 (calculated); melting pt: 2204°C; boiling pt: 4265°C

Word Origin for technetium

C20: New Latin, from Greek tekhnētos manmade, from tekhnasthai to devise artificially, from tekhnē skill

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for technetium

technetium

[ tĕk-nē′shē-əm ]

A silvery-gray, radioactive metallic element. It was the first element to be artificially made, and it is produced naturally in extremely small amounts during the radioactive decay of uranium. Technetium is used to remove corrosion from steel. Its longest-lived isotope is Tc 98 with a half-life of 4,200,000 years. Atomic number 43; melting point 2,200°C; specific gravity 11.50; valence 0, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7. See Periodic Table.