weapons-grade plutonium
3
9.5
- noun
- /ˈwɛpənzɡreɪd plʌˈtoʊniəm/
- Specialized
:
plutonio de grado militar
- A large stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium was discovered during the inspection of the facility.
- produce weapons-grade plutonium
- ton of weapons-grade plutonium
- weapons-grade plutonium as reactor fuel
Examples
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The test, held on December 9, 1944, was to ensure the reactor could separate weapons-grade plutonium from spent nuclear waste sent over from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
Academic text (2011) -
Do you think you should have the right to have weapons-grade plutonium here on the farm?
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Imagine what 10 of them will do, with a core of weapons-grade plutonium.
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Down there it's all weapons-grade plutonium.
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They are the world's best weapons grade plutonium producer.
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At the time, the U.S. had only four reactors capable of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel to extract weapons-grade plutonium.
Academic text (2011) -
But the world's greatest terrorist running around with six kilos of weapons-grade plutonium can't be good.
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This reactor appeared capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium (Mazarr 1995, 94).
Academic text (2018) -
Weapons-grade plutonium was the active ingredient in the atomic bomb that devastated the Japanese city of Nagasaki just three days after the uranium bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, bringing a swift end to World War II.
Academic text (2002) -
Since it is possible to produce weapons-grade plutonium from natural uranium using graphite pile reactors, at a fairly low cost, the possession of LFTR technology is unlikely to increase the probability that rogue states will build nuclear weapons.
Blog text (32)
Synonyms
4
9.8
A chemical symbol for plutonium, a radioactive metal used for nuclear fuel and weapons
A radioactive metal used as fuel in nuclear reactors and to make nuclear weapons
Plutonium taken from old nuclear bombs that can be used to make new weapons
How Suitable
- Specialized
3
9.5
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
weapons-grade + plutonium
The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'weapons-grade' (i.e. of a quality suitable for weapons) modifies 'plutonium', so a learner who knows 'weapon(s)', 'grade' (level/quality) and 'plutonium' can infer it means plutonium suitable for use in weapons. Technical specifics like isotope composition or exact purity are specialist knowledge, but the core meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and follows common adjective+noun compounding patterns.
Etymology
The noun weapons-grade plutonium paints a simple picture: plutonium is a dangerous metal and weapons-grade says it is so pure and strong that it is 'fit for weapons'. So the phrase means plutonium processed to the high quality needed for a bomb.