radiationn.
/ˌreɪdɪˈeɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ I. Senses relating to the emission of rays.
1. † a. The action or condition of sending out rays of light. Obsolete except as in sense 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > [noun] > ray or beam > emission of
beaming1398
radiationa1500
radiancea1593
radiancy1595
irradiation1599
eradiation1633
irradiancy1646
actinobolism1654
radiature1663
effulgence1667
irradiance1667
circumradiancy1673
diradiation1706
beaminess1741
raying1787
rayonnance1848
radiate1889
a1500 (a1450) tr. Secreta Secret. (Ashm. 396) (1977) 18 (MED) The mone is brighter than other sterres and, thurgh the good radiacion of the sonne [L. solis radius], more shynynger.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §125 So it [sc. sound] paralleleth in so many other things with the Sight, and Radiation of Things visible.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 260 As for Sciotericall Dialls, whether of the Sunne or Moon, they are only of use in the actuall radiation of those Luminaries. View more context for this quotation
1740 G. Cheyne Ess. Regimen 123 The glorious Appearance and Radiation of our Saviour's Body on the Mount.
1773 Encycl. Brit. III. 525/2 Radiation, the act of a body emitting or diffusing rays of light all round, as from a centre.
b. The emission of heat in the form of rays.The term is now understood as transmission by electromagnetic waves (infrared rays) of the same type as those which, at different wavelengths, constitute light, radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays; in modern physics these may also be described in terms of moving particles (photons). Cf. conduction n. 6, convection n. a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > [noun] > radiation of heat
ray1599
irradiation1794
radiance1800
radiation1802
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > heat > [noun] > emission or diffusion
irradiation1794
radiance1800
radiation1802
actinism1847
scattering1866
emissivity1880
1802 T. Young in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 92 47 How much more readily heat is communicated by the free access of colder substances, than either by radiation or by transmission through a quiescent medium.
1804 Count Rumford in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 94 111 I could no longer entertain any doubts respecting the agency of radiation, in the heating and cooling of bodies.
1845 C. Darwin Jrnl. (ed. 2) xi. 249 The winter is rendered excessively cold by the radiation from a large area of land into a clear sky.
1922 T. M. Lowry Inorg. Chem. xxi. 244 The rate of combustion increases, until a temperature is reached at which the liberation of heat by combustion exceeds that lost due to conduction and radiation.
1985 Sci. Amer. Aug. 98/1 Conduction, convection and radiation are the three primary ways of transferring heat energy.
c. The emission of energy of any kind in the form of rays or waves (esp. electromagnetic waves), or subatomic particles.In relation to sound and physical vibration, ‘radiation’ refers to the manner in which the energy of a vibrating body is transmitted in all directions by a surrounding medium.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > [noun]
emission1900
radiation1908
the world > matter > physics > energy or power of doing work > [noun] > emission of energy
emission1900
radiation1908
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > processes > [noun] > transmission of signal
transmission1907
radiation1908
the world > matter > physics > science of sound > sound-waves > [noun] > emission of
radiation1934
1908 C. C. F. Monckton Radio-telegr. iv. 69 There will be a certain amount of radiation possibly from the tree back towards the radiator, and a consequent distortion of the field.
1913 N. Bohr in London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 6th Ser. 26 5 We are led to assume that these configurations will correspond to states of the system in which there is no radiation of energy.
1934 Discovery Dec. 347/2 The noise in aeroplanes can be reduced..; little can be done for reducing the external radiation of noise.
1956 B.B.C. Handbk. 1957 9 The radiation of signals from the transmitting aerial.
1989 R. K. Adair Great Design xi. 198 Classically, one must..expect that the electron would not stay in a stable orbit as Bohr required, but would spiral into the center as it loses energy through the radiation of light.
2002 F. Close et al. Particle Odyssey viii. 142 The products of collisions at petra's higher energies revealed the first evidence for the radiation of gluons.
2. † a. A ray or beam of emitted, reflected, or refracted light. Usually in plural. Obsolete except as in sense 2c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > [noun] > ray or beam
beamc885
rowc1225
stringc1275
steamc1300
light beama1398
shafta1400
rayc1400
strakec1400
rade?a1563
gleed1566
radiation1570
shine1581
rayon1591
stralla1618
radius1620
rule1637
irradiation1643
track1693
emanation1700
spoke1849
spearc1850
slant1856
sword1866
secondary1921
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > [noun] > rays or waves
rayc1400
tress1423
radiation1570
hair1594
hair1606
irradiation1643
beam1664
light wave1871
1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. bj Perspectiue..demonstrateth the maner, and properties, of all Radiations Direct, Broken, and Reflected.
1626 F. Bacon New Atlantis 39 Wee haue also Perspectiue-Houses, wher wee make Demonstrations of all Lights and Radiations.
1675 H. Oldenburg Let. 13 May in Corr. (1977) XI. 308 That in this deflexion of ye rays those parts of ye diverged radiation yt are deflected by ye greatest angle from ye direct radiations are faintest.
1793 J. Dalton Meteorol. Observ. xii. 66 The beams lost their lateral motion, and were converted..into the flashing radiations.
1798 S. Lee Young Lady's Tale in H. Lee Canterbury Tales II. 446 The setting sun..threw his long radiations even to the shore.
1837 D. Brewster Treat. Magnetism 225 The part of the heavens where all these beams or radiations unite.
b. A ray or rays of heat; heat in the form of radiated energy (infrared waves). Now usually as heat radiation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > heat > [noun] > emission or diffusion > energy produced by > coal fire
radiation1934
1804 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 94 101 An instrument I contrived for measuring, or rather for discovering, those very small changes of temperature in bodies, which are occasioned by the radiations of other neighbouring bodies, which happen to be at a higher, or at a lower temperature.
1854 Lardner's Museum Sci. & Art III. 83 The heat of the solar radiation was made to affect a known weight of water at a known temperature.
1899 Science 10 Nov. 698/2 Professor Nichols..in the summer of 1898, succeeded for the first time in detecting heat radiation from the stars.
1934 H. M. Vernon Princ. Heating & Ventilation iii. 50 The intensity of the radiation from a coal fire varies enormously.
1943 O. Luhr Physics Tells Why x. 222 In the way that it traps heat radiation, the cloud layer acts much like the glass of a greenhouse.
2003 J. H. Lienhard Engines of our Ingenuity vii. 103 Light goes right through glass. But glass absorbs the heat radiation that is carried in sunlight—it neither transmits nor reflects it.
c. Energy emitted or transmitted in the form of rays or waves (esp. electromagnetic waves), or subatomic particles; a distinct kind of such emission; spec. ionizing radiation (as from a radioactive source), whether in the form of electromagnetic waves (gamma rays) or subatomic particles.The energy of ionizing radiation means that it is potentially harmful to living tissue (cf. Compounds 1c); as a result the word radiation in popular contexts often has connotations of danger.alpha, beta, cosmic, gamma, Hawking, ionizing radiation, etc.: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > ionizing radiation > [noun]
radiation1896
ionizing1897
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > [noun] > radiation emitted
activity1898
radioactivity1899
radiation1958
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > pollution or defilement > environmental pollution > [noun] > other types of pollution
acid rain1845
air pollution1874
fallout1946
rainout1954
radiation1958
thermal pollution1965
light pollution1969
radioactivity1969
noise pollution1970
wash-off1979
1865 J. C. Maxwell in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 155 466 We have strong reason to conclude that light itself including radiant heat, (and other radiations if any), is an electromagnetic disturbance in the form of waves.
1871 J. Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (1879) II. xvi. 450 Dissolved in a proper vehicle, iodine cuts the visible radiation sharply off.
1896 Strand Mag. July 108/1 If a solid object is placed in the path of this stream..it may become the seat of the production of that..which is variously known as Röntgen radiation or X-radiation.
1899 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 5th Ser. 47 109 The remarkable radiation emitted by uranium and its compounds has been studied by its discoverer, Becquerel.
1933 S. W. Cole Pract. Physiol. Chem. (ed. 9) vii. 187 By the action of ultraviolet light, ergosterol is converted to the anti-rachitic vitamin D, which is destroyed by a too prolonged exposure to the radiations.
1958 New Statesman 25 Oct. 545/3 This week's inquest on the second serviceman to die after the Christmas Island tests reveals once more the astonishing medical and scientific ignorance of the effects of radiation.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio iii. 52 What we are actually listening to is the radiation from a sounding board to which the strings are coupled.
1969 D. F. Costello Prairie World ii. 25 Energy is everywhere. Light and other radiations fall on the earth. When radiation is absorbed it produces heat.
1972 Daily Tel. 3 Mar. (Colour Suppl.) 17 Our planet is constantly being bombarded by all kinds of radiation—from natural radio waves to infra-red, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma radiation.
1991 Observer 22 Sept. 1/1 A Soviet nuclear-armed submarine, which sank off Norway two years ago..is in danger of leaking radiation and must be raised.
1996 C. Hauss New World Order iii. 44 Upper atmosphere winds had carried radiation from Chernobyl throughout the northern mid-latitudes.
3. figurative. An influence, effect, or manifestation considered as emanating like rays.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > spreading or diffusion > [noun] > specifically of immaterial things
dilatation1448
propagation1531
dilating1532
enlargement1607
dilationa1631
radiationa1631
dispreadinga1652
factorship1697
rayonnement1910
haemorrhaging1967
a1631 J. Donne Poems (1633) 109 Your radiation can all clouds subdue.
1652 J. Collier Friends Eccho in E. Benlowes Theophila The Radiations of the Soul All splendors of the flesh controul.
1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 29. ⁋4 The errors and follies of a great genius are seldom without some radiations of understanding, by which meaner minds may be enlightened.
1841 R. W. Emerson Ess. 1st Ser. (Boston ed.) xii. 295 The best of beauty,..namely, a radiation from the work of art of human character.
1876 St. G. Mivart Contemp. Evol. 206 To Him must be ascribed the rich endowments of the intellect, the radiation of genius, the imagination of the poet.
1967 R. K. Narayan Sweet-vendor xi. 146 He did everything possible to insulate himself from the evil radiations of an unmarried couple living together.
1994 C. S. Jaeger Envy of Angels xii. 304 Holding servants and guests alike to the unwritten rules of the house by the radiation of his virtues.
II. Senses relating to divergence from a centre.† 4. Astrology. = aspect n. 4. Cf. ray n.5 5. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > planet > position of planet > aspect > [noun]
aspecta1398
conspect1398
radiation1555
configuration1559
positure1610
familiarity1679
ray1679
1555 L. Digges Prognostication Right Good Effect sig. Biv The Sextile aspecte or radiation..is with in 60 degrees thone from the other.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. i. 27 Names or Terms used by Astronomers... Aspect or Radiation.
5.
a. Divergence from a central point; radial dispersion, arrangement, or structure; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > spreading or diffusion > [noun]
spreadinga1250
skeltingc1540
diffusion1585
prosemination1611
scatter1642
dissemination1646
radiation1658
dispersion1664
spread1757
distribution1860
dispersal1863
scatteration1892
spreadation1925
the world > space > relative position > inclination > divergence > [noun] > radiating
deradiation1649
radiation1658
radiism1841
radialization1889
1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 159 The motion of vegetation upward, and of radiation unto all quarters.
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis i. v. 91 The spoted houndfish or sea-panther; Galeus Asterias; because of the Stars or Spots upon his Skin. But the radiation of the Spots in the Figure commonly given, is fictitious.
1712 J. Morton Nat. Hist. Northants. ii. 182 These in their Figure and Radiation do much resemble the Nux Vomica.
1753 H. Baker Employment for Microscope i. xxxiii. 164 There frequently presents a new and unexpected Radiation of fine Lines.
1856 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters IV. 205 The beauty of a crest or bird's wing consists..in the radiation of the plumes.
1868 A. P. Stanley Hist. Mem. Westm. Abbey iii. 129 The radiation of the polygonal chapels round the Choir.
1939 E. D. Laborde tr. E. de Martonne Shorter Physical Geogr. (rev. ed.) xiii. 194 (caption) Note the radiation of streams from the central point and the characteristic triangular shape of the intervening plateaux.
1950 Art Educ. 3 iii. 3 The beautiful radiation of a shell.
1987 Burlington Mag. Nov. 765/2 A small, wistful night-scene in water-colour technically dominated by a superimposed spider's-web radiation in ink.
b. Each of a set of radiating things or parts; = ray n.5 7. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inclination > divergence > [noun] > radiating > radiating part
ray1668
radius1691
radiation1770
1770 G. von Engeström & E. M. da Costa tr. A. F. Cronstedt Ess. Syst. Mineral. 232 This is commonly cristallised in form of deep red semi-transparent rays or radiations.
1831 W. Youatt Horse vi. 67 Rays or radiations of bone extend thence in every direction.
1894 Jrnl. Royal Microsc. Soc. 581 To one of these [constituents of cytoplasm], the kinoplasm, the radiations around the centro-spheres..owe their origin.
1910 Encycl. Brit. VII. 714/2 The remaining radiations at the two poles of the spindle are the ‘astral rays’.
1953 Jrnl. Soc. Archit. Historians 12 7/1 The base plan was designed on a radiating disk..with a total of twelve radiations.
1982 Artibus et Historiae 3 131/1 Angels of heaven, who appear with giant phalluses framed by exaggerated star-like radiations.
c. Anatomy. Any of various groups of diverging nerve fibres connecting parts of the brain, esp. those of the corona radiata. Frequently with distinguishing word.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > types of
axis-cylinder1839
axis-band1877
projection fibre1879
radiation1884
associating fibres1885
1884 Proc. Royal Soc. 37 2 The ‘optic radiation’ of Gratiolet going to the occipital lobe is composed of the following constituents.
1904 Lancet 7 May 1295/2 The structures involved by this large growth included..the subcortical radiations distributed upwards to the parietal area of stereognosis.
1967 Brain 90 513 Fibres of the cingulate radiation leaving the cingulum had accumulated AChE on the non-cortical side of the lesion.
1988 M. L. Barr & J. A. Kiernan Human Nerv. Syst. (ed. 5) xxi. 322/1 The last link in the auditory pathway consists of the auditory radiation in the sublentiform part of the internal capsule.
2003 Neuron 39 389/1 Such inter-areal topography..appears to be largely independent of functional activity within the thalamocortical radiation.
6. Biology. The evolutionary diversification of an animal or plant lineage into forms adapted to different habitats or ecological niches; = adaptive radiation n. at adaptive adj. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > balance of nature > distribution > [noun]
cosmopolitanism1870
endemicity1886
endemism1886
bipolarity1896
radiation1898
zonation1898
frequency1913
provincialism1929
overdispersion1930
under-dispersion1935
provinciality1952
1898 Science 16 Sept. 358/1 Professor Osborn..said that..there have been four main centers of adaptive radiation.
1900 H. F. Osborn in Science 13 Apr. 564/2 In the southern portion of Neogæa..the Hystricomorph rodents enjoyed their chief radiation.
1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. Huxley Animal Biol. xi. 240 This adaptation to different modes of life, while..we call it specialization when we are thinking only of one species of animal, is called adaptive radiation when we are thinking of the group as a whole.
1978 Nature 17 Aug. 662/1 The Dicroidium complex, a diverse group of seed ferns characteristic of the Triassic, became nearly entirely extinct and was replaced by a Jurassic radiation of conifers.
1990 M. J. Benton Vertebr. Palaeontol. v. 117 The archosaurs underwent a second phase of radiation in the Late Triassic.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive, instrumental, etc., in sense 2c, spec. with reference to ionizing radiation.
radiation dosage n.
ΚΠ
1931 Science 12 June 632/1 There is in sight a standardization of x-radiation dosage on a uniform scale.]
1932 Lancet 20 Feb. 425/1 It is impossible by any practicable radiation dosage to ensure in a few days or weeks the death of all cancer cells.
1973 G. F. Stewart & M. A. Amerine Introd. Food Sci. v. 203 Radiation dosages for pasteurization are only about a tenth of that required for sterilization.
2003 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 19 Jan. iii. 13 (advt.) Our Advanced Materials Group is the industry leader in radiochromic films used by medical professionals worldwide to measure therapeutic radiation dosage.
radiation dose n.
ΚΠ
1922 H. Schmitz tr. Friedrich & Glasser in B. Kroenig & W. Friedrich Princ. Physics & Biol. of Radiation Therapy 241 (heading) The distribution of the radiation dose in intracorporeal radium and mesothorium therapy.
1968 Times 16 Dec. 7/4 During the flight the three astronauts are expected to receive radiation doses of less than one rad a man, less than from chest X-ray series.
2000 New Yorker 29 May 58/3 The technology has allowed escalation of the standard radiation dose to 81 Gy from the conventional limit of between 65 and 70.
radiation dosimetry n.
ΚΠ
1937 Brit. Jrnl. Radiol. 10 600 (heading) Radiation dosimetry.
1968 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 16 Nov. 15 (advt.) The Australian Atomic Energy Commission is in the process of establishing a programme of research and development in the field of radiation dosimetry and radiation standards.
2005 Physics in Med. & Biol. 50 1221 For radiation dosimetry, dosimetric equipment must be calibrated by using known doses.
radiation exposure n.
ΚΠ
1946 Times Record (Troy, N.Y.) 31 May 25/5 (heading) Scientist killed by radiation exposure.
1973 A. H. Ehrlich et al. Human Ecol. 140 A potentially important source of radiation exposure is the use of nuclear reactors to provide electric power.
2005 New Scientist 6 Aug. 7/3 One project involves targeting genetic changes caused by radiation exposure.
radiation-induced adj.
ΚΠ
1931 Jrnl. Heredity 22 253 (title) Radiation-induced variation in cotton.
1989 C. Caufield Multiple Exposures (1990) xvi. 166 Failing to reduce radiation exposure now will ensure that our generation and those that follow are burdened with the incalculable social and financial burden of radiation-induced diseases.
radiation level n.
ΚΠ
1939 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 81 453 Some embryos hatched at all radiation levels except 10,000 r.
1993 Guardian 18 Oct. i. 8/2 A monitor aboard the Greenpeace vessel..said he had measured radiation levels in the air that were more than 10 times the normal level.
radiation meter n.
ΚΠ
1888 Proc. Physical Soc. 10 290 (title) On a new electric radiation meter.]
1904 J. Wright Electric Furnaces 280 All that is necessary is to expose a bolometer or radiation meter to an orifice in the heated furnace cavity.
1935 Science 8 Nov. 437/2 Exhibits will include..ultra-violet radiation meters.
1961 Economist 23 Dec. 1220/2 ‘Survival biscuits’.., water, first-aid kits and radiation meters.
1995 K. J. Anderson Ground Zero (1996) xx. 151 A small alpha counter, a delicate radiation meter that could pick up residual radioactivity beyond the usual background counts.
radiation monitor n.
ΚΠ
1949 Jrnl. Sci. Instruments 26 13/1 The design and constructional details are given of a portable radiation monitor of the ionization chamber d.c. amplifier type.
1951 D. E. Gray & J. H. Martens Radiation Monitoring in Atomic Defense xii. 91 Emergency workers, particularly radiation monitors, should be equipped with dose meters for their own protection.
1992 RS Components: Electronic & Electr. Products July 1135/1 A lightweight hand-held/pocket personal radiation monitor..suitable for all users of, and persons who may come into contact with, X-ray and gamma radiation.
radiation-proof adj.
ΚΠ
1896 Proc. Royal Soc. 60 175 I had to postpone taking the reading..until I had made a radiation-proof box.
1995 Science 1 Sept. 1219/1 All of the electronics near the collision area will have to be radiation-proof.
b. Designating branches of science, medicine, etc., concerned with the effects and properties of (esp. ionizing) radiation (cf. radiation chemistry n. at Compounds 2).
radiation biology n.
ΚΠ
1936 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 34 315/1 The effect of a probatory irradiation together with local and general changes as interpreted in the light of radiation biology may give an indication as to the nature of the pathologic process.
2004 Human & Exper. Toxicol. 23 95 A classical dogma of radiation biology asserts that all effects of radiation on cells are due to its direct, immediate actions.
radiation genetics n.
ΚΠ
1930 H. J. Muller in Amer. Naturalist 64 246 The field of radiation genetics is, in a sense, coextensive with that of genetics itself.
1956 C. Auerbach Genetics in Atomic Age viii. 69 In the twenty-eight years since its beginning, radiation genetics has developed into a large and flourishing branch of research.
1986 Jrnl. Heredity 77 301 Marker genes used separately in plant physiology and radiation genetics are different semidominant forms at the same loci.
radiation oncology n.
ΚΠ
1972 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 124 515/1 (note) From the Section of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiology, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco.
1993 Sci. Amer. Aug. 78/1 He divides his time between his clinical practice in pediatric radiation oncology and his research into novel anticancer radiopharmaceuticals.
radiation physics n.
ΚΠ
1936 Bot. Gaz. 97 866 The introductory chapters..contain a clear and concise explanation of radiation physics, wave theory, quantum theory, [etc.].
1999 T. M. Cronin Princ. Paleoclimatol. ii. 17 A case might be made..that climate history is based mainly on first principles of radiation physics and energy balance.
c. Medicine. Designating disorders or pathological processes caused by excessive exposure to ionizing radiation.
radiation cachexia n. rare
ΚΠ
1961 R. D. Baker Essent. Pathol. vii. 127 Heavy dosages of x-ray, especially to the upper abdomen, may lead to radiation sickness, nausea and vomiting shortly after the radiation; radiation cachexia, weakness, anemia, and leukopenia several weeks after exposures.
radiation carcinogenesis n.
ΚΠ
1947 Radiology 49 359/2 The question of radiation carcinogenesis in the lungs cannot be fully dismissed.
1991 Cancer Res. 51 6393/1 Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes by ionizing radiation may contribute to radiation carcinogenesis.
radiation dermatitis n.
ΚΠ
1930 Lancet 19 Apr. 859/2 The method of irradiation cannot be sufficiently localised in its application to avoid the possibility of seriously affecting..neighbouring structures, not to mention the well-known risk of radiation dermatitis.
1961 R. D. Baker Essent. Pathol. xx. 542 Radiation dermatitis, usually from overexposure to X-rays and less commonly to radium, results in similar atrophic changes in the skin..which, after a number of years, become squamous cell carcinoma.
1994 Brit. Jrnl. Radiol. 67 408 The three patients all tolerated radiotherapy treatment well, though moderate radiation dermatitis (Grade II–III) was seen.
radiation osteitis n.
ΚΠ
1926 Acta Radiol. 6 399 (title) Radiation osteitis.
1994 Radiographics 14 111 Skeletal complications of radiation therapy include alterations in bone growth, radiation osteitis with secondary stress fractures, and radiation-induced sarcoma.
radiation poisoning n.
ΚΠ
1947 Amer. Jrnl. Orthodontics & Oral Surg. 33 114 The effects of chronic radiation poisoning are insidious and very dangerous, as the experience of the radium dial painters has shown.
1981 Times 10 Apr. 6/1 People have been treated for symptoms of radiation poisoning after a lorry carrying..radioactive materials overturned.
2000 S. Poole Trigger Happy viii. 171 Back in the late nineteenth century, penny arcades..boasted..X-ray machines (the latter were phased out..after it was shown that repeated use led to death, by what we now know as radiation poisoning).
radiation ulcer n.
ΚΠ
1942 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 56 75/1 The most difficult differential diagnosis was between radiation ulcer of the mouth and cancer.
1970 R. Passmore & J. S. Robson Compan. Med. Stud. II. xxxiii. 7/2 A radiation ulcer of the skin often fails to heal.
2006 Aesthetic Plastic Surg. 30 120 For repair of radiation ulcers, a flap with a stable blood supply is required.
C2.
radiation accident n. an accident involving potentially hazardous exposure to or release of ionizing radiation.
ΚΠ
1946 Sci. Monthly Aug. 99/2 In case a radiation accident should occur in a small organization, the persons involved in the accident should be rushed to a radiologist.
1993 Mutation Res. 287 253 This region was heavily contaminated by the nuclear fall-out following the radiation accident at Chernobyl.
radiation badge n. a film badge or other device worn to monitor exposure to ionizing radiation.
ΚΠ
1949 Coshocton (Ohio) Tribune 24 Apr. 6/4 Radiation badge. Hospitalman Third Class Gerald Smith..wears the Navy's newly adopted film badge which measures the wearer's exposure to atomic radiation and other forms of radioactivity.
1958 Times 21 Oct. 6/2 Crew members wore radiation badges to register any excess radiation.
1989 Spectator 11 Feb. 9/3 I put radiation badges on the workers of our coal station and measured the levels there.
radiation belt n. Astronomy a region of intense radiation surrounding a planet, esp. one where charged particles accumulate under the influence of the planet's magnetic field; cf. Van Allen n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > planet > [noun] > part of planet
terminator1661
belt1665
fascia1704
fibre1715
white spot1784
dayside1827
nightside1848
albedo1860
north pole1861
polar cap1863
core1882
regolith1897
tectonics1899
sediment ring1955
radiation belt1958
palaeo-radius1960
space needle1961
soil1967
1958 Science 24 Oct. 967/2 Much has been discovered about the earth's magnetic field.., the radiation belt of intense x-rays, and so on.
1977 F. N. Bash Astron. xiii. 398 Jupiter's radiation belts are not only more intense, but also much larger than the similar Van Allen belts that girdle the earth.
2002 Geophysics in UK (Royal Astron. Soc.) 29/3 Another hazard following geomagnetic storms is the strengthening of the high-energy electrons in Earth's radiation belt.
radiation burn n. a burn caused by overexposure to ionizing radiation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > environmental disorders > [noun] > radiation
radium burn1908
radiation sickness1924
tolerance dose1925
radionecrosis1928
radiation burn1931
radiation injury1931
1931 I. I. Kaplan Pract. Radiation Therapy vi. 117 Radiation burns, whether small or extensive, are often more disagreeable and more harmful to the patient than the original lesion.
1959 R. Dubos Miracle of Health iv. 100 The atomic age will probably bring in its train many obscure pathological disorders even if effective steps are taken to avoid obvious radiation burns.
2002 More Feb. 104/2 When radiation burns from the treatment appeared on her back and her face, she convinced herself that they looked like suntan.
radiation-chemical adj. of or relating to radiation chemistry.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemistry as a science > branches of chemistry > [adjective]
mago-chemical1652
physico-chemical1664
chemico-medical1744
unorganic1775
pneumato-chemical1790
electrochemical1808
electrochemic1813
zymological1828
photochemical1858
thermochemical1871
physiochemical1881
stoicheiometrical1887
stereo-chemical1890
stoicheiometric1892
physical-chemical1896
zymotechnic1896
zymotechnical1900
photochemic1907
magnetochemical1911
immunochemical1912
radiochemical1915
topochemical1920
palaeochemical1926
cosmochemical1940
mechanochemical1943
radiation-chemical1946
sonochemical1948
stereological1963
bioinorganic1970
thermochemic-
1946 Jrnl. Physical Chem. 50 130 Since the rôle of ionization in radiation-chemical changes is still so uncertain, the major attention..has been given to the total energy dissipated..rather than to the ionization produced.
1993 Radiation Effects & Defects in Solids 127 191 G-value or Radiation chemical yield is the fundamental quantitative characteristic of radiation induced chemical charge and it is defined as number of ions, free radicals, atoms or molecules formed or destroyed when the system has absorbed 100 eV of energy.
radiation chemist n. a specialist in radiation chemistry.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemistry as a science > general chemist > specific types of chemist > [noun]
proto-chemist1650
zymologist1828
physico-chemist1866
molecularist1869
food chemist1885
thermochemist1890
photochemist1894
physical chemist1896
zymotechnologist1896
radiochemist1917
immunochemist1930
stereochemist1937
polymer chemist1948
radiation chemist1951
kineticist1960
stereologist1963
1951 Jrnl. Chem. Educ. 28 407/2 Not all instruments shown in Table 1 are equally useful for the radiation chemist.
1994 Life Sci. 56 pl90 Radiation chemists have typically sought a target that will react with the hydroxyl radical and generate a change in some easily measurable property of the target molecule.
radiation chemistry n. the study of chemical changes arising from the action of ionizing radiation; the properties of a substance in this respect; cf. radiochemistry n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemistry as a science > branches of chemistry > [noun]
physical chemistry1743
zymology1753
pneumatic chemistry1788
stoicheiometry1807
electrochemistry1811
phytochemistry1837
thermochemistry1844
actinochemistry1845
inorganic chemistry1847
phytochimy1847
biochemistry1848
microchemistry1853
palaeochemistry1854
actinology1855
photochemistry1860
physico-chemistry1860
zymotechny1860
anorganology1876
kinetics1884
structural chemistry1884
stereochemistry1890
spectrochemistry1893
cytochemistry1900
radiochemistry1904
immunochemistry1907
magnetochemistry1914
leptonology1917
surface chemistry1919
crystal chemistry1921
radiation chemistry1926
leptology1928
mechanochemistry1928
agrochemistry1930
sonochemistry1934
quantum chemistry1938
cosmochemistry1940
polymer chemistry1945
conductometry1946
topochemistry1948
proto-chemistry1962
stereology1963
biochem1968
femtochemistry1988
combinatorial chemistry1992
cheminformatics1996
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > measurement of ionizing radiation > [noun] > study of chemical changes
radiochemistry1904
radiation chemistry1926
1926 Science 15 Jan. 66/1 Recent developments in radiation chemistry.
1961 G. R. Choppin Exper. Nucl. Chem. xii. 192 Most of the early research in radiation chemistry used natural nuclear emissions.
1996 Chem. Physics 204 129 The analysis of radiation chemistry in polymers irradiated with synchrotron radiation is of great relevance for a better understanding and improvement of the X-ray lithographic process.
radiation counter n. = counter n.2 3b.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > measurement of ionizing radiation > [noun] > instrument for counting or recording
counter1924
point-counter1925
tube counter1930
radiation counter1934
ratemeter1941
1934 Science 19 Jan. 8/2 An apparatus for detecting and measuring extremely small quantities of radiation, the so-called ‘Geiger radiation counter’.
1966 R. A. Heinlein Moon is Harsh Mistress (1967) 241 No Loonie goes up onto surface unnecessarily during bright semi-lunar, and if he must, then does whatever he must do quickly as possible and gets back down inside—and checks his radiation counter.
2001 S. Crotty Ahead of Curve iii. 44 Radioactive labeling did not damage the mengovirus RNA genome; it simply made the RNA detectable with a radiation counter (like a Geiger counter) or on X-ray film.
radiation damage n. damage caused by ionizing radiation, esp. to living cells or tissues.
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the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > damage > [noun] > from bombing, etc.
radiation damage1935
bomb-damage1941
1935 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 27 405/1 In many instances no evidence of residual cancer will be found, the symptoms having been caused by radiation damage to the myometrium.
1957 M. Benedict & T. H. Pigford Nucl. Chem. Engin. iii. 66 The extent to which fuel elements of a power reactor can be irradiated may be limited..by physical changes in the fuel caused by radiation damage.
2004 Independent 3 Aug. 35/2 Maybe life came here from outer space, by panspermia, so, how big would a spacecraft have to be, what sort of shielding to protect the occupants from radiation damage, and so on.
radiation efficiency n. Telecommunications the ratio of the power radiated by an object (e.g. as radio waves, light, or sound) to the input power.
ΚΠ
1913 J. Erskine-Murray Handbk. Wireless Telegr. (ed. 4) xix. 367 (heading) A direct experimental method for the determination of the radiation efficiency, earth resistance and other constants of a transmitter.
1977 S. W. Amos Radio, TV & Audio Techn. Ref. Bk. xxi. 5 Antenna radiation efficiency = power radiated by antenna/input power to antenna.
1996 Jrnl. Sound & Vibration 190 317 The grid has a poor acoustic radiation efficiency because of the large percentage of open area.
radiation field n. an extent of space in which there is radiation; spec. the space around an aerial in which there is a continuous outward flow of energy, separated from the aerial by the intervening induction field.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > [noun] > radiation field
radiation field1900
1900 Proc. Royal Soc. 1899–1900 66 377 With Röntgen or uranium radiation fields of 400 or 500 volts a centimetre have sufficed to give saturation in the case of most simple gases.
1924 Physical Rev. 24 339 The energy which is removed from a radiation field..by the positive absorption of quanta by N oscillators all in (n − 1) quantum states.
1928 G. E. Sterling & R. S. Kruse Radio Man. Index 663/1 Radiation field of antenna.
1948 A. L. Albert Radio Fund. xiii. 494 At a distance greater than, say, a few wavelengths from the antenna, the induction field approaches zero, and the radiation field exists.
1971 Nature 20 Aug. 572/1 The ultrasonic field was monitored by a small, sensitized, thermistor probe.
1993 A. C. Clarke Hammer of God 124 Thanks to aeons of bombardment from the radiation fields round Jupiter, it contained a much higher percentage of the heavier isotope deuterium.
radiation fog n. fog formed when the sky is clear and the ground loses heat by radiation, cooling overlying moist air.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > cloud > mist > [noun] > thick mist or fog > other types of fog
petty-fog1641
radiation fog1857
tule fog1900
upslope fog1941
1857 J. F. W. Herschel in Encycl. Brit. XIV. 654/2 A radiation-fog once formed tends to its own increase, by radiating off heat from its own particles.
1937 G. T. Trewartha Introd. Weather & Climate iii. 109 Radiation fog is at its worst in the vicinity of large cities where the air is rich in hygroscopic smoke particles.
2002 Times (Nexis) 26 Nov. Certain areas are especially prone to radiation fog. Sandy ground is vulnerable because it cools rapidly.
radiation frost n. frost that occurs when the sky is clear and the ground loses heat by radiation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > cold weather > [noun] > freezing or frosty weather > frost > specific types
black frosta1425
wet frost1832
radiation frost1889
ground frost1900
1855 T. G. Bradford Murray's Encycl. Geogr. II. 404 M. de Humboldt..observes that the thermometer sinks to zero, and that, by the power of radiation, frost sometimes forms on the terraces of the houses.]
1889 Q. Jrnl. Royal Meteorol. Soc. 15 23 It was not an ordinary radiation frost, but one in which the entire valley was filled with an almost uniformly cold atmosphere.
1945 R. Bush Frost & Fruitgrower iii. 13 Cloud coming up when a radiation frost is beginning sends the temperature up surprisingly quickly.
1995 Amateur Gardening 25 Nov. 44/4 It blooms early, so watch out for radiation frosts and frosty winds.
radiation hazard n. a risk to health consisting of or resulting from the presence of ionizing radiation.
ΚΠ
1945 H. D. Smyth Gen. Acct. Devel. Atomic Energy Mil. Purposes vii. 73 Two types of radiation hazard were anticipated—neutrons generated by the pile, and alpha-particles, beta-particles, and gamma rays emitted by products of the pile.
1964 C. Hodder-Williams Main Experiment i. iii. 34 She's batty on the subject of radiation hazards. She used to flirt with the CND.
1999 J. Zonderman Beyond Crime Lab (rev. ed.) vii. 182 This technology cannot be used to check passengers, because it would present a radiation hazard.
radiation injury n. Medicine and Biology injury to cells or tissues caused by overexposure to ionizing radiation; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > environmental disorders > [noun] > radiation
radium burn1908
radiation sickness1924
tolerance dose1925
radionecrosis1928
radiation burn1931
radiation injury1931
1931 Biol. Bull. 60 414 It is evident that the radiation injury cannot be repaired by ordinary nutrition.
1981 tr. Hiroshima & Nagasaki (Comm. for Compilation of Materials on Damage caused by Atomic Bombs) viii. 171 Radiation injury of epithelial cells and lack of leukocytes can be considered to have triggered the formation of ulcers.
2000 S. E. Atkins Hist. Encycl. Atomic Energy 302 This legislation authorized compensation for radiation injuries to those people exposed to atomic testing and for uranium miners.
radiation pattern n. Physics the way in which the intensity of the radiation from a source, esp. an aerial or antenna, varies in different directions from it.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > [noun] > radiation field > pattern
field pattern1929
radiation pattern1930
1930 Trans. Optical Soc. 31 120 In beam transmission..we have the same type of radiation pattern as a single row.
1948 A. L. Albert Radio Fund. xiii. 496 (caption) The radiation patterns of a half-wave antenna.
1978 Sci. Amer. Aug. 120 (caption) Flask arrangement for measuring the radiation pattern from a conventional grate.
1995 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 1 Apr. d8/3 Slepian..found that equations used to characterize radiation patterns around radar antennas could also theoretically describe the output from sounds sent along telephone lines.
radiation pressure n. Physics mechanical pressure exerted by electromagnetic radiation or by sound waves.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > [noun] > pressure exerted by
light pressure1893
radiation pressure1901
the world > matter > physics > science of sound > sound-waves > [noun] > pressure exerted by
radiation pressure1901
1901 Physical Rev. 13 308 Radiation pressure, from its nature, must reach its maximum value instantly.
1926 H. C. Macpherson Mod. Astron. vi. 96 It is now generally admitted that the chief factor in producing comets' tails is the radiation pressure.
1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) XI. 317/1 The radiation pressure is p = 2E, where E is the energy of the acoustic wave per unit area.
1992 S. P. Maran Astron. & Astrophysics Encycl. 5/1 Both the attractive gravitational force acting on an electron–ion pair and the repulsive force due to radiation pressure decrease inversely with the square of the distance from the black hole.
radiation pyrometer n. Physics a pyrometer which functions by measuring radiant energy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > heat > [noun] > measurement of heat > instrument
pyrometer1734
calorimeter1794
actinometer1833
radiation pyrometer1904
1904 Physical Rev. 19 422 The best types of radiation pyrometers that are at present available to the experimentalist.
1959 Techn. Survey Dorman Long (Steel) Ltd. (Iron & Coal Trades Review) 59/2 Each furnace also has two radiation pyrometers focussed on the crown of the roof ten feet on either side of the tap-hole.
1989 A. C. Davies Sci. & Pract. Welding (ed. 9) I. i. 8 Radiation pyrometers. These pyrometers measure the radiation emitted from a hot body.
radiation pyrometry n. Physics the use of a radiation pyrometer.
ΚΠ
1897 Science 3 Sept. 340/2 His results..contain the first definite data in radiation pyrometry and in calorimetric pyrometry.
1922 R. Glazebrook Dict. Appl. Physics I. 643/1 In radiation pyrometry generally the term ‘full radiator’ or ‘black body’ denotes one that will absorb all the radiation it receives.
1994 Observatory 114 120 The..origins [of remote-sensing techniques] lie in techniques such as radiation pyrometry, and spectroscopy with earth-based telescopes.
radiation resistance n. (a) Physics the part of the electrical resistance of an aerial that is due to its radiating properties, being the ratio of the radiated power to the mean square current in the aerial; an analogous property of a sound radiator; (b) resistance to the effects of ionizing radiation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > [noun] > radiation field > electrical resistance of aerial
radiation resistance1913
1913 J. Erskine-Murray Handbk. Wireless Telegr. (ed. 4) xiv. 223 The fourth numeric of the antenna, namely r, the radiation coefficient or ‘radiation resistance’, is that on which transmission actually depends.
1938 F. E. Terman Fund. Radio xvii. 435 The presence of the air in contact with the vibrating diaphragm produces a mechanical radiation resistance..which varies with frequency.
1975 D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xix. 55 A loudspeaker designed to resonate at a low frequency combines decreasing velocity with increasing radiation resistance to yield a uniform response.
1977 Radiation Res. 69 270 Radiation resistance of surviving spore populations was shown to increase with increased exposure to sublethal γ irradiation.
1994 SIAM Rev. 36 637 This means that the radiation resistance should be twice the Poynting value, something that will come as a surprise to generations of radio engineers.
2006 Austral. Mag. (Nexis) 18 Nov. 42 The king of radiation resistance is the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, which can tolerate 1.5 million rads.
radiation sickness n. Medicine a syndrome caused by overexposure (usually of the whole body) to ionizing radiation, with dose-dependent manifestations ranging from nausea, vomiting, and anorexia to pancytopenia (reduction in blood cells of all types) and death.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > environmental disorders > [noun] > radiation
radium burn1908
radiation sickness1924
tolerance dose1925
radionecrosis1928
radiation burn1931
radiation injury1931
1924 Lancet 15 Mar. 533/1 The chief consideration at present in the consideration of the causation of radiation ‘sickness’ or toxæmia centres on the more essential biochemical changes resulting from radiation.
1930 Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Daily Jrnl. 29 Aug. 8/7 A cure for ‘radiation sickness’, which has been a major obstacle to giving cancer patients x-ray treatments, was announced today by the American Medical association.
1978 Sci. Amer. May 49/3 10 percent of the people exposed to 150 rads will die from radiation sickness.
1991 Sanity Jan. 22/2 It wasn't really done to say that what you were frightened of was burning to death, radiation sickness, the nuclear winter, [etc.].
radiation therapy n. Medicine = radiotherapy n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatment by radiation > [noun]
radiotherapeutics1897
irradiation1901
radiotherapy1902
ray therapy1912
radiation treatment1913
radiation therapy1922
radiosurgery1951
1922 H. Schmitz tr. B. Kroenig & W. Friedrich (title) The principles of physics and biology of radiation therapy [Ger. Die physikalischen und biologischen Grundlagen der Strahlentherapie].
1961 R. D. Baker Essent. Pathol. vii. 127 Radiation therapy of the cervix under abnormal circumstances may result in damage to the mucosa of the rectum or of the urinary bladder.
1980 Daily Tel. 4 Dec. 6/8 It can implant radioactive seeds by needle when..patients can no longer sustain external radiation therapy.
1991 Sci. Amer. Dec. 41/1 A patient's own stem cells are collected and stored outside the body while chemotherapy or radiation therapy is administered in an attempt to obliterate the malignant cells.
radiation thermometer n. (a) Meteorology a thermometer used for measuring temperature when placed in direct sunlight (as opposed to the temperature in the shade); (b) a thermometer that measures the temperature of a distant object by measuring the spectrum of the heat radiation it emits.
ΚΠ
1850 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 140 335 There is not any record of the radiation thermometer in November at Dodabetta.
1868 Symons's Meteorol. Mag. 3 7 The sensitiveness of a terrestrial radiation thermometer.
1954 Geogr. Jrnl. 120 189 Sun temperatures of 69°C. (156°F.) measured with the black bulb radiation thermometer were observed in association with shade temperatures near freezing point.
1963 G. L. Pickard Descriptive Physical Oceanogr. vi. 89 A serious source of error with the airborne radiation thermometer is the variability in signal.
1998 Functional Ecol. 12 474/1 Leaf temperature, measured by an infra-red radiation thermometer.
radiation treatment n. medical treatment using radiation, esp. radiotherapy; an instance or session of this; (also) treatment of food or other material with radiation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatment by radiation > [noun]
radiotherapeutics1897
irradiation1901
radiotherapy1902
ray therapy1912
radiation treatment1913
radiation therapy1922
radiosurgery1951
1913 Lancet 30 Aug. 704 Dr. Jacobs..described his experiences with the radiation treatment of cancer of the breast, the uterus, the intestine, and the skin.
1933 H. Laurens Physiol. Effects Radiant Energy vii. 239 The evidence indicating the value of artificial [ultraviolet] radiation treatment.
1959 Science 14 Aug. 370/2 That the natural qualification for the mutation actually exists [in barley] is borne out by modern experiments showing the transition from two- to six-row spikes in response to radiation treatment.
1978 Washington Post 6 May a3/4 When specialists ordered radiation treatments, the Greens decided to seek alternative therapy.
1991 New Age Nov. 15/2 First in line to be zapped are strawberries and mangoes (the radiation treatment lengthens shelf life and kills insects).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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