radon
pronunciation
How to pronounce radon in British English:
UK [ˈreɪdɒn]
How to pronounce radon in American English:
US [ˈreɪdɑn]
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- Noun:
- a radioactive gaseous element formed by the disintegration of radium; the heaviest of the inert gasses; occurs naturally (especially in areas over granite) and is considered a hazard to health
Word Origin
- radon (n.)
- heaviest gaseous element, 1918, from German Radon, from radium (q.v.) + -on suffix of inert gases. The element was identified in radioactive decay of radium. Alternative name niton (from Latin nitens "shining") gained currency in France and Germany.
Example
- 1. But some relativistic calculations suggested it might actually behave like a different element , the inert ( and non-metallic ) gas , radon .
- 2. The pair used a signal-processing technique called the radon transform to create spectrograms of a variety of audio clips each just half a second long .
- 3. More recently , researchers have sought to associate electromagnetic fields , the radon or hydrogen content of the soil and seismicity patterns with impending earthquakes .
- 4. There are dozens of natural causes of cancer , including ultraviolet light from the sun , natural radiation from radionuclides such as radon in rocks , and infection by viruses that trigger cancer , such as the human papilloma virus , which causes cervical cancer and hepatitis viruses that can cause liver cancer .