heavy water
nounDefinition of heavy water
1
: the compound D2O composed of deuterium and oxygen
— called also
deuterium oxide
2 : water enriched in deuterium
Examples of heavy water in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Having a fast, non-invasive method such as heavy water tracing would be a great economic boon. — Kevin Davenport, idahostatesman, "Yellowstone's magma chamber is more powerful than we knew. Here's why studying it matters.," 3 July 2018 Its rarity made heavy water the Achilles’ heel of the German nuclear bomb program. — Timothy J. Jorgensen, Smithsonian, "How a Sneak Attack By Norway’s Skiing Soldiers Deprived the Nazis of the Atomic Bomb," 27 Feb. 2018 Three apartments remain unoccupied and probably will be for some time due to heavy water damage and some fire damage, Lenzi said. — Jim Newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Waukegan lightning strike causes apartment complex evacuation during storm," 16 May 2018 Under the deal, Iran permanently altered a heavy water nuclear power plant to prevent it from ever producing plutonium for a bomb. — Oren Dorell, USA TODAY, "Iran preps 'industrial-scale' nuke production after U.S. leaves nuclear deal," 11 May 2018 That finding is also shared in the main by U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials, though the Trump administration argues Iran exceeded limits on heavy water production. — Washington Post, "AP FACT CHECK: Trump vs. truth on the Iran nuclear deal," 10 May 2018 This fluid holds heavy water, whose hydrogen atoms have a neutron along with a proton, as well as two molecules that serve as building blocks for proteins and whose nitrogen atoms hold an extra neutron. — Amina Khan, latimes.com, "A search for some of Earth’s most extreme creatures in the West Coast's deepest underwater canyon," 20 Apr. 2018 In October 2016, Iran slightly surpassed a limit on its stockpiles of heavy water, which is used in medical imaging and can also fuel reactors that produce plutonium, a weapons material. — Bloomberg.com, "Mario Draghi Answers Questions at ECB News Conference," 24 Apr. 2018 The Sacramento region, where lawns are big and summers are hot, traditionally has been one of the heaviest water users in the state. — Dale Kasler And Ryan Sabalow, sacbee, "Why your water provider is fighting California's ban on watering sidewalks | The Sacramento Bee," 15 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heavy water.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on heavy water
What made you want to look up heavy water? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz
-
- Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz
A mythological/etymological mashup!
Take the quiz -
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz -
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Take the quiz -
Dictionary Devil
The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?
Play the game
Share heavy water
Resources for heavy water