thermonuclear warhead
1
7.4
- noun
- /ˌθɜrməˈnjuːklər ˈwɔːrˌhɛd/
- Specialized
:
cabeza termonuclear
- Any massive WMD usage against Israel will result in the use of Israeli thermonuclear warheads against Arab and Persian population centers in large parts of the Middle East, with the resulting spread of radioactive fallout over large parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
- U.S. thermonuclear warheads
Examples
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That looks like an old-fashioned thermonuclear warhead.
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The military announced upgrades to its thermonuclear warhead technology to enhance security.
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Why isn't water more important than a thermonuclear warhead?
Blog text (9) -
We're gonna strap a 2400 pound thermonuclear warhead to Striker's back.
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Teller and York encouraged the development of thermonuclear warheads light enough to be carried on solid-propellant intercontinental and submarine-launched missiles, which became the backbone of the US nuclear arsenal.
Academic text (2004) -
Experts predict that the new thermonuclear warhead will significantly increase deterrence capabilities.
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Each thermonuclear warhead in the arsenal has been designed to maximize explosive power.
Synonyms
634
3.5
A very powerful bomb that uses energy from splitting or joining atoms
148
7.6
A very powerful bomb that uses nuclear energy
35
5.0
A part of a missile or bomb that contains a nuclear bomb
11
3.5
A very powerful explosive that uses energy from splitting or joining atoms to destroy things
8
4.9
A very powerful nuclear bomb that makes a huge explosion by joining hydrogen atoms
3
4.0
A very powerful nuclear weapon that explodes by joining hydrogen atoms
1
6.3
A weapon that makes a very large explosion by joining light atoms like hydrogen
1
5.1
Part of a missile or bomb that explodes and has a nuclear weapon
1
6.9
A very powerful weapon that makes a huge explosion by joining tiny hydrogen atoms at extreme heat
How Powerful
- Specialized
1
7.4
- NSFW
35
5.0
- Specialized
123
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'thermonuclear' qualifies the type of 'warhead', so a learner who knows 'thermonuclear' (relating to nuclear reactions) and 'warhead' (the explosive part of a missile) can infer it means a warhead that uses thermonuclear explosives. This adjective+noun construction is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern, so the overall meaning is transparently derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Thermonuclear warhead joins thermo, which means 'heat', and nuclear, which means 'atoms', with warhead, the front part of a missile that carries a bomb. So it pictures the missile 'head' carrying a bomb that uses heat from atoms to make a huge explosion, which is why it means 'a very powerful bomb fitted to a missile'.