the energy usually required to remove an electron from an atom, molecule, or radical, usually measured in electronvolts
Symbol: I. Compare electron affinity
ionization potential in American English
noun
Physics
the energy required to remove an electron from an atom
Word origin
[1910–15]This word is first recorded in the period 1910–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: carbon cycle, coverage, flashback, radio, zing