fallout

fall·out

noun \ˈfȯl-ˌau̇t\

Definition of FALLOUT

1

a : the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere; also : other polluting particles (as volcanic ash) descending likewise

b : descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere

2

: a secondary and often lingering effect, result, or set of consequences <have to take a position and accept the political fallout — Andy Logan>

Examples of FALLOUT

1. concerned about the possible political fallout from the scandal

First Known Use of FALLOUT

1949

Other Physics Terms

amplitude, centrifugal, centripetal, convection, gradient, hysteresis, kinetic, lase, quantum

Rhymes with FALLOUT

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fall·out

noun \ˈfȯ-ˌlau̇t\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of FALLOUT

1

: the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere; also : other polluting particles (as volcanic ash) descending likewise

2

: descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere

fallout

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Descent of radioactive materials from the atmosphere to the earth. Radioactivity in the atmosphere may arise from natural causes such as cosmic rays as well as from nuclear explosions and atomic reactor operations. The explosion of nuclear weapons leads to three types of fallout: local, tropospheric, and stratospheric. The first, intense but relatively short-lived, occurs as larger radioactive particles are deposited near the site of the explosion. Tropospheric fallout occurs when the finer particles enter the troposphere, and it spreads over a larger area in the month after the explosion. Stratospheric fallout, made of fine particles in the stratosphere, may continue years after the explosion, and the distribution is nearly worldwide. Many different radioisotopes are formed during a nuclear explosion, but only long-lived isotopes (e.g., cesium-137, strontium-90) are deposited as stratospheric fallout.