curie

noun

cu·​rie ˈkyu̇r-(ˌ)ē How to pronounce curie (audio)
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 compare becquerel
abbreviation c, Ci

Examples of curie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Here's a partial list of models that will be deprecated: ada babbage curie davinci davinci-instruct-beta curie-instruct-beta text-ada-001 text-babbage-001 text-curie-001 text-davinci-001 text-davinci-002 text-davinci-003 OpenAI will provide drop-in replacements for these older models. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023 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 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of curie was in 1910

Dictionary Entries Near curie

Cite this Entry

“Curie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curie. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

curie

noun
cu·​rie ˈkyu̇(ə)r-(ˌ)ē How to pronounce curie (audio)
kyu̇-ˈrē
: a unit of radioactivity equal to 37 billion disintegrations per second

Medical Definition

curie

noun
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 How to pronounce Curie (audio)
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 How to pronounce Curie (audio)
-ˈdȯv-
French (Polish-born) chemist

Curie

3 of 3

biographical name (3)

Pierre 1859–1906 husband of Marie Curie French chemist

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