Definition of hydrogen
: a nonmetallic element that is the simplest and lightest of the elements, is normally a colorless odorless highly flammable diatomic gas, and is used especially in synthesis — see element table — compare deuterium, tritium
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Recent Examples of hydrogen from the Web
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In China, Brown will spread the gospel of California’s auto policies, including a state rule requiring an increase in annual sales of zero-emission vehicles powered by batteries or hydrogen.
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Farady, named for the English scientist Michael Faraday, who invented the rubber balloon in 1824 for use in his research with hydrogen.
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Scientists worried at one point that a hydrogen bubble forming inside the reactor would explode with catastrophic consequences.
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As a hydrogen bubble grew inside the container that held the reactor core, pregnant women and children under the age of five were told to leave the area.
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With hydrogen ruled out as a buoyant material for obvious reasons, the next best option is helium, which is more expensive and less effective.
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Still more data suggest that the planet’s core may be larger and more dilute than anticipated, with heavy metals and rock slowly dissolving in a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen.
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Others expected no rocky core, but hydrogen, the planet’s main constituent, all the way down.
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Jupiter's atmosphere is around 90 percent hydrogen, for example, and approximately 10 percent helium.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hydrogen'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of hydrogen
French hydrogène, from hydr- + -gène -gen; from the fact that water is generated by its combustion
HYDROGEN Defined for English Language Learners
hydrogen
playDefinition of hydrogen for English Language Learners
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: a chemical element that has no color or smell and that is the simplest, lightest, and most common element
HYDROGEN Defined for Kids
hydrogen
playDefinition of hydrogen for Students
: a colorless, odorless, and tasteless flammable gas that is the lightest of the chemical elements
History for hydrogen
When hydrogen is burned it combines with oxygen to make water. That fact accounts for the name of this gas. The word hydrogen was formed from two Greek roots. The first, hydro-, means “water,” and the second, -gen, means “giving rise to, producing.”
Medical Dictionary
hydrogen
playMedical Definition of hydrogen
: a nonmetallic element that is the simplest and lightest of the elements and that is normally a colorless odorless highly flammable diatomic gas—symbol H; see deuterium, tritium; element table
Learn More about hydrogen
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Spanish Central: Translation of hydrogen Nglish: Translation of hydrogen for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hydrogen for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hydrogen
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