tritium
noun
tri·ti·um
| \ ˈtri-tē-əm
, ˈtri-shē-\
, ˈtri-shē-\
Definition of tritium
: a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that has one proton and two neutrons in its nucleus and that has three times the mass of ordinary hydrogen
—symbol T
Examples of tritium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One, tritium — a relative of radiation-emitting hydrogen — cannot be separated. — Mari Yamaguchi, BostonGlobe.com, "Japan briefs diplomats on Fukushima nuclear water concerns," 4 Sep. 2019 In 2016, Jenny Staletovich of the Miami Herald reported that high levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope, had been discovered in Biscayne Bay, confirming fears that the canals were leaking into Biscayne National Park. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Why Florida Crocs Are Thriving Outside a Nuclear Power Plant," 23 July 2019 The filters, however, don’t catch tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. — Vince Beiser, WIRED, "Fukushima’s Other Big Problem: A Million Tons of Radioactive Water," 27 Apr. 2018 The reactor was completed five years ago and, though it's designed for civilian use, it could be used to produce plutonium or tritium, the report stated. — Fox News, "North Korea begins testing experimental reactor at nuclear site despite 'denuclearization' talk," 28 Mar. 2018 Meanwhile, the freeze on new material — including tritium, an element necessary for the North to make advanced atomic bombs as well as the far more powerful hydrogen bombs — would mean that the program would slowly decay. — William J. Broad, The Seattle Times, "Bolton says North Korea could disarm in a year," 2 July 2018 Meanwhile, the freeze on new material — including tritium, an element necessary for the North to make advanced atom bombs as well as the far more powerful hydrogen bombs — would mean that the program would slowly decay. — David E. Sanger, New York Times, "As Bolton Says North Korea Could Disarm in a Year, Reality Lags Promises," 1 July 2018 Levels of tritium in that water are low, but nevertheless there’s great sensitivity to the suggestion that it be discharged. — William Steel, Ars Technica, "Remediating Fukushima—“When everything goes to hell, you go back to basics”," 11 May 2018 Okay, so isotopic information is one way to investigate whether the North Korean weapon was nuclear, thermonuclear, or tritium-boosted. — Andrew Karam, Popular Mechanics, "Nuclear Forensics: How Scientists Can Tell Whether North Korea Is Lying About Its Bomb Test," 7 Jan. 2016These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tritium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tritium
tritium
noun
tri·ti·um
| \ ˈtrit-ē-əm
, ˈtrish-ē-
\
, ˈtrish-ē-
\
Medical Definition of tritium
: a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that has three times the mass of ordinary hydrogen
—symbol T