radiation

Meanings

Plural: radiations

Noun

• energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles
• the act of spreading outward from a central source
• syndrome resulting from exposure to ionizing radiation (e.g., exposure to radioactive chemicals or to nuclear explosions); low doses cause diarrhea and nausea and vomiting and sometimes loss of hair; greater exposure can cause sterility and cataracts and some forms of cancer and other diseases; severe exposure can cause death within hours
  • "he was suffering from radiation"
• the spontaneous emission of a stream of particles or electromagnetic rays in nuclear decay
• the spread of a group of organisms into new habitats
• a radial arrangement of nerve fibers connecting different parts of the brain
• (medicine) the treatment of disease (especially cancer) by exposure to a radioactive substance
• The shooting forth of anything from a point or surface, like diverging rays of light.
• The process of radiating waves or particles.
• The transfer of energy via radiation.
• Radioactive energy.
• A rapid diversification of an ancestral species into many new forms.

Synonyms

actinotherapy, irradiation, radiation sickness, radiation syndrome, radiation therapy, radioactivity, radiotherapy

Related Words

nucleomitophobia, radiate, radiative