fissionable

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   capable of undergoing nuclear fission

   The reactor requires carefully controlled quantities of fissionable material.

2. 2
   noun

   a substance or isotope capable of nuclear fission

   The treaty placed each nation's stock of fissionables under inspection.

Formed from fission + -able. Fission comes from Latin fissio ("a splitting"), from findere ("to split"); the nuclear sense arose after the atomic nucleus was shown to split and release energy.

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