THORIUM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does thorium mean? 

• THORIUM (noun)
  The noun THORIUM has 1 sense:

1. a soft silvery-white tetravalent radioactive metallic element; isotope 232 is used as a power source in nuclear reactors; occurs in thorite and in monazite sands

  Familiarity information: THORIUM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• THORIUM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A soft silvery-white tetravalent radioactive metallic element; isotope 232 is used as a power source in nuclear reactors; occurs in thorite and in monazite sands

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

atomic number 90; Th; thorium

Hypernyms ("thorium" is a kind of...):

metal; metallic element (any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "thorium"):

radiothorium; thorium-228 (radioactive isotope of thorium with mass number 228)

Holonyms ("thorium" is a substance of...):

monazite (a reddish-brown mineral containing rare earth metals; an important source of thorium and cerium)

thorite (a radioactive mineral consisting of thorium silicate; it is a source of thorium that is found in coarse granite)

Derivation:

thoriate (impregnate with thorium oxide to increase thermionic emission)

 Context examples 

There are two mesothoriums produced in thorium decay.

(Mesothorium, NCI Thesaurus)