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milliroentgen

milliroentgen

1 9.9
A small unit for measuring harmful radiation, equal to one thousandth of a roentgen
  • noun
  • /ˌmɪlɪˈroʊntɡən/
  • Archaic
: miliröntgen
  • Values are reported in milliroentgens (mR).

Examples

  • Geiger counter indicates 300 milliroentgen.

  • Doctors recommend keeping radiation exposure below 100 milliroentgen for safety.

  • The radiation exposure was measured at 50 milliroentgen during the test.

  • The laboratory's report showed a level of 75 milliroentgen after testing.

Surface Forms

milliroentgen singular

Morphology

milliroentgen = roentgen (transparent) = milli + roentgen

Formed by the productive metric prefix 'milli-' meaning one-thousandth attached to the unit 'roentgen', so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

The word milliroentgen joins the start milli- ('one thousandth') with roentgen, a unit named after the scientist Wilhelm Röntgen who discovered X-rays and measures radiation. So a milliroentgen is 'one thousandth of a roentgen', which is why it describes a very small radiation exposure.