technetium

noun

tech·​ne·​tium tek-ˈnē-sh(ē-)əm How to pronounce technetium (audio)
: a radioactive metallic element obtained especially from nuclear fuel as a product of uranium fission and used as a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of technetium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That would solve the problem of technetium escaping. Valerie Brown, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2018 But that’s not what all the technetium did: A considerable percentage formed a still-unidentified compound that the ion exchange columns don’t capture. Valerie Brown, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2018 Luckily, that technetium decays into a type of ruthenium, which is stable. Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 4 Sep. 2018 The international team of authors suggests that an isotope of technetium with 98 neutrons and protons (^98Tc) might be this missing piece of the neutrino puzzle. Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 4 Sep. 2018 Still, Lawrence’s cyclotrons allowed element hunters to take trillions of shots, and by 1937 one of his devices had created technetium (element No. Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2019 Like all elements first born in cyclotrons, technetium was radioactive. Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'technetium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek technētós "artificial" (verbal adjective of technáomai, technâsthai "to make with skill, contrive cunningly," verbal derivative of téchnē "art, skill, proficiency in an art or craft, (in plural) wiles, cunning") + -ium; so named because it was the first element to be synthesized artificially — more at technical entry 1

Note: The element was named by the Italian mineralogist Carlo Perrier (1886-1948) and the Italian-American physicist Emilio Segrè (1905-89), who had earlier isolated isotopes; see C. Perrier and E. Segrè, "Technetium: the element of atomic number 43," Nature, vol. 159, no. 4027, January 4, 1947, p. 24.

First Known Use

circa 1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of technetium was circa 1946

Dictionary Entries Near technetium

Cite this Entry

“Technetium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technetium. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

technetium

noun
tech·​ne·​tium tek-ˈnē-sh(ē-)əm How to pronounce technetium (audio)
: a radioactive metallic element obtained especially from nuclear fuel as a product of uranium fission see element

Medical Definition

technetium

noun
tech·​ne·​tium tek-ˈnē-sh(ē-)əm How to pronounce technetium (audio)
: a metallic element that is obtained by bombarding molybdenum with deuterons or neutrons and in the fission of uranium and that is used in medicine in the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals
symbol Tc
see pertechnetate Chemical Elements Table

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