radioactif

French

Etymology

Coined by Pierre Curie and Marie Curie in 1898 from radio- +‎ actif. See quotation.

Adjective

radioactif (feminine singular radioactive, masculine plural radioactifs, feminine plural radioactives)

1. radioactive
   • 1898, Pierre Curie and Marie Curie, title of article in Comptes rendus de l'Académie des Sciences t. 127:

     Sur une substance nouvelle radio-active, contenue dans la pechblende

     On a new radioactive substance contained in pitchblende

Further reading

• “radioactif” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).