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Glite Dictionary
actinide series

actinide series

9.9
A group of 15 radioactive elements in the periodic table from actinium to lawrencium, including uranium and plutonium
  • noun
  • /ˈæktɪnaɪd ˈsɪriz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : serie de actínidos
  • Scientists study the actinide series to understand the behavior of radioactive materials.

Examples

  • The actinide series includes elements like uranium and plutonium.

  • Uranium and plutonium are both members of the actinide series.

  • Exploring the actinide series is important for advancements in nuclear energy research.

  • Did you know that the actinide series contains 15 elements?

  • The elements in the actinide series are all radioactive, and only three are found in appreciable concentration in the Earth's crust.

  • By the time they reached the lab, the fire was nearly out, but smoke laced with elements from the actinide series filled the unit.

  • He reconfigured the periodic table by placing the actinide series below the lanthanide series.

Surface Forms

actinide series singular
actinide series plural

Morphology

actinide + series

Given knowledge of the constituents, the meaning of 'actinide series' is directly compositional: 'actinide' names a specific set of radioactive elements and 'series' denotes a related grouping or sequence. The noun-noun compound follows a common pattern (X series = the sequence/group of X items) found across languages and is therefore immediately interpretable by learners who know both words.

Etymology

Actinide series comes from the name actinium, the first element in the group, and the word series, which means a 'row' or 'family'. Because actinium was named from a word meaning 'ray' since it gives off a glow, the actinide series now means the set of related 'radioactive' elements that follow actinium in the periodic table.