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Glite Dictionary
transuranic element

transuranic element

9.9
A chemical element that has a higher atomic number than uranium and is radioactive
  • noun
  • /ˌtrænzjʊˈreɪnɪk ˈɛlɪmənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : elemento transuránico
  • Scientists study the properties and reactions of various transuranic elements to understand their radioactivity.

Examples

  • One member of the BGS team, Albert Ghiorso, has been discovering transuranic elements for half a century.

    Academic text (2002)

  • It is plutonium and the other transuranic elements of light water reactor spent fuel that are the real issues.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Plutonium is a well-known transuranic element that is used in nuclear reactors.

  • Uranium and transuranic elements like neptunium and americium are vital in the field of nuclear chemistry.

Surface Forms

transuranic element singular
transuranic elements plural

Morphology

transuranic + element

This is a straightforward adjectival modification: 'transuranic' describes a property of an 'element' (having atomic number greater than uranium), so the meaning follows directly from the constituent words. The construction is compositional and mirrors common adjective+noun patterns across languages, making it immediately understandable to a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Transuranic element comes from the parts trans meaning 'beyond' and uranic from uranium. So a transuranic element is literally 'beyond uranium', meaning an element with a higher number than uranium on the periodic table, and that is why these elements are usually made in labs and are radioactive.