uranium ore
2
8.2
- noun
- /jʊˈreɪniəm ɔr/
- Specialized
:
mineral de uranio
- The geologist examined the rock samples to identify the uranium ore deposits.
- tons of uranium ore
- Natural uranium ore
Examples
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To power the nuclear plant, we need to extract uranium ore from the mine.
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Nuclear weapons can be as simple as a few thousand purchased centrifuges in a tunnel somewhere, a few tens of tons of uranium ore, and a design.
Blog text (31) -
I thought problem number one would be securing enough uranium ore.
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Also, the uranium ore in the ground has to be processed, and only a very small percentage of it is actually used as fuel.
Blog text (32) -
From a thousand tons of uranium ore, all you get is a block the size of a cigar box.
Fiction book (1994) -
That sand that Devlin brought in shows uranium ore.
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According to the Wall Street Journal, "processed uranium ore is already up more than 800% since 2001."
Academic text (2007) -
I believe it's a concentrate made from uranium ore that's used in the fissile material for weapons programs.
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The office of the Vice President has received a report concerning a memorandum of sale between the governments of Niger and Iraq for the purchase of 500 tons of yellowcake uranium ore.
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This reality, nuclear experts say, goes a long way toward explaining why Tehran has sought to expand its partnership with the government of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, a major uranium ore repository, over the past year.
Academic text (2011)
Synonyms
A dark mineral that contains a lot of uranium and is radioactive
How Energy-Rich
- Specialized
84
9.4
- Specialized
2
7.2
- Specialized
17
4.6
- Specialized
- Specialized
2
8.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a mineral or rock from which uranium can be extracted' is directly predictable from combining 'uranium' (the element) and 'ore' (rock/mineral from which metals are extracted). This noun–noun compositional pattern is common across languages and follows standard English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Uranium ore comes from the metal uranium, which was named after the planet 'Uranus', and the word ore, which means a rock that has metal inside. So uranium ore is the 'rock that contains uranium', the material people dig up to get the metal used for fuel.