curie

noun

cu·​rie ˈkyu̇r-(ˌ)ē 

ˈkyər-;

kyu̇-ˈrē 

plural curies

1

: a unit quantity of any radioactive nuclide in which 3.7 × 10¹⁰ disintegrations occur per second

2

: a unit of radioactivity equal to 3.7 × 10¹⁰ disintegrations per second

—abbreviation c, Ci compare becquerel

Examples of curie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over 100 radioactive elements, tens of millions of curies, were sent drifting across the continent for 10 days. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Apr. 2026

Know Your Terms: A curie is a measurement of radioactive decay, named after perhaps the most iconic woman scientist in history, Marie Curie. —Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Mar. 2023

The limit for cesium-137, for instance, is 4,600 curies (or 1.7 x 10 14 bequerels) per cubic meter. —IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2020

The average concentration of plutonium in the surface soil of the refuge portion of the site is 1.1 picocuries (trillionths of a curie) per gram (pCi/g). —Vincent Carroll, The Denver Post, 16 June 2017

Word History

Etymology

Marie & Pierre Curie

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for curie

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he

Kids Definition

curie

noun

cu·​rie ˈkyu̇(ə)r-(ˌ)ē 

kyu̇-ˈrē

: a unit of radioactivity equal to 37 billion disintegrations per second

Medical Definition

curie

noun

cu·​rie ˈkyu̇(ə)r-(ˌ)ē, kyu̇-ˈrē 

1

: a unit quantity of any radioactive nuclide in which 3.7 × 10¹⁰ disintegrations occur per second

2

: a unit of radioactivity equal to 3.7 × 10¹⁰ disintegrations per second

Biographical Definition

Curie 1 of 3

biographical name (1)

Cu·​rie kyu̇-ˈrē  ˈkyu̇r-(ˌ)ē 

Eve 1904–2007 daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie American (French-born) author

Curie

2 of 3

biographical name (2)

Marie 1867–1934 née Maria Skłodowska sklə-ˈdȯf-skə 

-ˈdȯv-

French (Polish-born) chemist

Curie

3 of 3

biographical name (3)

Pierre 1859–1906 husband of Marie Curie French chemist