actinide

[ ak-tuh-nahyd ]

nounChemistry.

any element of the actinide series.

Origin of actinide

1940–45; actin- + -ide, on the model of lanthanide

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British Dictionary definitions for actinide

actinide

/ (ˈæktɪˌnaɪd) /

noun

a member of the actinide series: Also called: actinon

Origin of actinide

C19: from actino- + -ide

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for actinide

actinide

[ ăk′tə-nīd′ ]

Any of a series of chemically similar metallic elements with atomic numbers ranging from 89 (actinium) to 103 (lawrencium). All of these elements are radioactive, and two of the elements, uranium and plutonium, are used to generate nuclear energy. See Periodic Table.

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