nounan unstable radioactive element of the alkali-metal group, occurring in minute amounts in uranium ores. Symbol: Fr; atomic no: 87; half-life of most stable isotope, 223Fr: 22 minutes; valency: 1; melting pt: 27°C; boiling pt: 677°C
Word origin
C20: from New Latin, from
France +
-ium; so-called because first found in France