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thermonuclear

thermonuclear

6 8.3
Relating to very hot nuclear reactions in which atoms join and release large amounts of energy
  • adjective
  • /ˌθɜrməˈnjuːklər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : termonuclear
  • It's also the principal reaction in thermonuclear weapons.
  • thermonuclear weapon
  • thermonuclear bomb
  • thermonuclear fuel

So an atomic bomb is used inside a thermonuclear weapon as the trigger.

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Examples

  • After heated debates in the United States, work had gone forward on thermonuclear weapons.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Around the mid-1990s, Indian scientists made a breakthrough in thermonuclear bomb design.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The sun gets its energy from thermonuclear fusion at the core of the sun, right?

  • The resulting "Teller-Ulam" configuration has served as the basis for thermonuclear weapons.

    Academic text (1996)
  • His principal technical contribution to nuclear weaponry was the final insight, reached in 1951 at Los Alamos, that made thermonuclear weapons possible.

    Academic text (2004)
  • However, when the program was converted, it included designs for gun-type, implosion-type, boosted fission, and thermonuclear weapons.

    Blog text (21)
  • Discussions between Fermi and Teller ultimately suggested the feasibility of using an atomic explosion to initiate thermonuclear reactions in a deuterium medium.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The idea that a fission bomb could ignite a thermonuclear explosion in liquid deuterium was first voiced by Fermi to Teller in 1941.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The sun's energy is produced through thermonuclear fusion in its core.

  • Scientists are researching thermonuclear reactions to develop new energy sources.

Synonyms

nuclear
vsthermonuclear
  • Specialized
5.1

Relating to energy from the center of an atom, used for power or weapons

specifies very hot reactions, mainly fusion rather than fission

Compounds

thermonuclear warhead
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A bomb put on a missile that uses nuclear energy to make a very large explosion

1 7.7

A very hot reaction where parts of atoms join and make huge energy in stars or bombs

thermonuclear bomb
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A very powerful weapon that makes a huge explosion by joining tiny hydrogen atoms at extreme heat

thermonuclear reactor
  • Specialized
7.7

A machine that makes energy by joining atoms together in a controlled way

How Destructive

thermonuclear
  • Specialized
6 8.3
atomic
  • Specialized
240 3.7
explosive
233 4.6
conventional
  • Specialized
123 4.4

Surface Forms

thermonuclear positive

Morphology

thermonuclear = nuclear (semi-transparent) = thermo + nuclear

The word is clearly built from 'thermo-' and 'nuclear', but the specialized scientific meaning may not be fully predictable for all learners.

Etymology

Thermonuclear combines thermo- meaning 'heat', the same root you see in thermal and thermometer, and nuclear from nucleus meaning 'core' or 'center'. So, thermonuclear describes reactions or devices where the atom's core reacts because of extremely high 'heat'.