nuclear

English

Etymology

From nucleus +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA: /ˈnukliɚ/

• Audio (CA)

  (file)

• (UK) IPA: /ˈnjuː.klɪə/
• (US) IPA: /ˈnukliɚ/, /nukjəlɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Usage notes

The second US pronunciation (IPA: /nukjəlɚ/), famously used by George W. Bush, is considered incorrect by many.

Adjective

nuclear (not comparable)

1. (biology) Pertaining to the nucleus of a cell. [from 19th c.]
   • 2011, Terence Allen and Graham Cowling, The Cell: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2011, p. 17:

     However, the DNA in a bacterial cell is a single circular molecule and there is no separate nuclear compartment.

2. Pertaining to a centre around which something is developed or organised; central, pivotal. [from 19th c.]
3. Pertaining to the atomic nucleus. [from 20th c.]
4. Involving atomic energy. [from 20th c.]

   a nuclear reactor

5. Of a weapon: deriving its force from rapid release of atomic energy. [from 20th c.]

   a nuclear explosion

Usage notes

The pronunciation IPA: /nukjəlɚ/ is attested by Merriam-Webster (Online 10th Edition). See also nucular. However, this pronunciation is limited to the sense of atomic energy, and nuclear family is not pronounced nucular family.

Derived terms

corticonuclear nuclear age nuclear airburst nuclear aircraft nuclear artillery nuclear cataract nuclear certifiable nuclear certified nuclear chain reaction nuclear chemistry nuclear cytoplasm nuclear electric rocket nuclear emulsion nuclear energy nuclear fallout nuclear family nuclear fission

nuclear force nuclear fuel nuclear-free nuclear gene nuclear halo nuclear hardness nuclear hazard nuclear incident nuclear inclusion body nuclear intelligence nuclear isomer nuclear lamina nuclear magnetic moment nuclear magnetic resonance nuclear magneton nuclear material nuclear matrix

nuclear nation nuclear navy nuclear notation nuclear operator nuclear ophthalmoplegia nuclear option nuclear Overhauser effect nuclear parity nuclear photonic rocket nuclear physics nuclear poison nuclear power nuclear quadropole resonance nuclear radiation nuclear reaction nuclear reactor nuclear sclerosis

nuclear sharing nuclear technology nuclear terrorism nuclear testing nuclear transfer nuclear underground burst nuclear underwater burst nuclear vulnerability assessment nuclear war nuclear warfare nuclear waste nuclear weapon nuclear winter nuclear yield

Related terms

• nuclei
• nucleus

Translations

involving atomic energy

Albanian: bërthamor (sq) Breton: nukleel (br) Bulgarian: ядрен (bg) (jadren) Catalan: nuclear (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 核 (cmn) (hé) Czech: jaderný (cs) m. Esperanto: nuklea (eo) Finnish: ydin- (fi), ydinvoima- (fi) French: nucléaire (fr) Greek: πυρηνικός (el) (pyrinikós) Icelandic: kjarna- (is), atóm- (is), kjarnorku- (is) Interlingua: nucleal

Italian: nucleare (it) Japanese: 核 (ja) (kaku) Korean: 핵 (ko) (haek) Norwegian: kjerne- (no)/atom- (no), kjernekraft- (no)/atomkraft (no) Polish: jądrowy (pl) m. Romanian: nuclear (ro) m. and n., atomic (ro) m. and n. Russian: ядерный (ru) (jádernyj) Scottish Gaelic: niùclasach (gd) Spanish: nuclear (es) m. and f. Swedish: kärn- (sv), kärnkraft- (sv), kärnenergi- (sv) Thai: ปรมาณู (th) Turkish: nükleer (tr)

involving atomic or hydrogen bombs

Chinese: Mandarin: 核 (cmn) (hé) Czech: jaderný (cs) m. Esperanto: nuklea (eo) Finnish: ydin- (fi), ydinase- (fi) French: nucléaire (fr) Icelandic: kjarnorku- (is), atómsprengju- (is) Interlingua: nucleal Italian: nucleare (it) Japanese: 核 (ja) (kaku)

Korean: 핵 (ko) (haek) Norwegian: kjærne- (no)/atom- (no) Polish: jądrowy (pl) m. Romanian: nuclear (ro) m. and n., atomic (ro) m. and n. Russian: ядерный (ru) (jádernyj) Scottish Gaelic: niùclasach (gd) Spanish: nuclear (es) Swedish: nukleär (sv), kärnvapen- (sv) Thai: ระเบิดปรมาณู (th) Turkish: nükleer (tr)

relating to the nucleus of a cell

Chinese: Mandarin: 核 (cmn) (hé) Finnish: ydin- (fi) French: nucléaire (fr) Greek: πυρηνικός (el) (pyrinikós) Hebrew: גרעיני (he) (garini) Icelandic: frumeinda- (is), kjarna- (is), atóm- (is) Ido: nukleala (io) Interlingua: nucleal

Italian: nucleare (it) Japanese: 核 (ja) (kaku) Korean: 핵 (ko) (haek) Norwegian: nukleær (no) Polish: jądrowy (pl) m. Romanian: nuclear (ro) m. and n. Russian: ядерный (ru) (jádernyj) Scottish Gaelic: niùclasach (gd) Swedish: nukleär (sv), kärn- (sv)

External links

Nuclear on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• unclear

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Catalan

Adjective

nuclear m. and f. (plural nuclears)

1. nuclear

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Spanish

Adjective

nuclear m. and f. (plural nucleares)

1. nuclear

Derived terms

• fusión nuclear