heavy water

noun

1

: the compound D₂O composed of deuterium and oxygen

called also deuterium oxide

2

: water enriched in deuterium

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The heavy water pulled me under. —The Editors, Field & Stream, 5 June 2020

James Webb Space Telescope discovers its first exoplanet The research team studied a variation called heavy water, detected in V883 Orionis’ disk? —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Mar. 2023

Lindgren and his paddling buddies — some of whom, like him, travel the world in pursuit of heavy water — have been studying forecasts for the past week, transfixed. —Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Jan. 2023

But because deuterium is heavier than hydrogen, heavy water is less likely to dissociate. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2022

Brewers and other heavy water users have landed at the center of the climate fight in Mexico as the government and industry confront water shortages in the north. —Lorena Ríos, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2022

The Dutch government has tiptoed around raising prices for heavy water users, wary of a backlash. —Raymond Zhong, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2022

Instead, the samples weighed in with about 25 percent less heavy water compared with normal water — far less than expected. —Nola Taylor Redd, Discover Magazine, 1 Nov. 2019

Such reactors use heavy water as a coolant and produce plutonium as a waste product, which can be used in nuclear weapons. —Laurence Norman, WSJ, 25 May 2022

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

heavy water

noun

: water enriched in deuterium

Medical Definition

heavy water

noun

1

: the compound D₂O composed of deuterium and oxygen

called also deuterium oxide

2

: water having a higher-than-usual proportion of deuterium among its hydrogen atoms