radiocarbon

[ rey-dee-oh-kahr-buh n ]
/ ˌreɪ di oʊˈkɑr bən /

noun Chemistry.

Also called carbon 14. a radioactive isotope of carbon with mass number 14 and a half-life of about 5730 years: widely used in the dating of organic materials.
any radioactive isotope of carbon.

Origin of radiocarbon

First recorded in 1935–40; radio- + carbon

Words nearby radiocarbon

radioautograph, radioautography, radiobicipital, radiobiology, radiobroadcast, radiocarbon, radiocarbon dating, radiocarpal, radiocarpal joint, radiocast, radiocesium

Example sentences from the Web for radiocarbon

British Dictionary definitions for radiocarbon

radiocarbon
/ (ˌreɪdɪəʊˈkɑːbən) /

noun

a radioactive isotope of carbon, esp carbon-14 See carbon (def. 1)

Scientific definitions for radiocarbon

radiocarbon
[ rā′dē-ō-kär′bən ]

A radioactive isotope of carbon, especially carbon 14. Other radiocarbons include carbon 10, carbon 11, carbon 15, and carbon 16.