nuclear

English Online Dictionary. What means nuclear‎? What does nuclear mean?

English

Etymology

From Latin nū̆cleus, a contraction of the adjective nuculeus, masculine of feminine nuculea (“pertaining to a small nut”) from nucula + adjectival suffix -eus, -ea, -eum. The Latin nucula + -āris adds up to nuculāris, a term that in English becomes nucular; the Latin nuculea + -āris, becomes Latin nuculeāris (“relative to what pertains to small nut”), later contracted into nuclear. By surface analysis, nucle(us) +‎ -ar = nucle- +‎ -ar. Compare muscle and Latin mūsculus; muscular and mūsculāris.

Pronunciation

• (Canada) enPR: n(y)o͞okliər, IPA^(key): /ˈn(j)u.kli.ɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: nyo͞oklî(r), IPA^(key): /ˈnjuː.klɪə(ɹ)/
• (US) enPR: n(y)o͞okliər, n(y)o͞okyələr, IPA^(key): /ˈn(j)u.kli.ɚ/
  • (proscribed) IPA^(key): /ˈn(j)u.kjə.lɚ/ (see usage notes)
• Rhymes: -uːkliə(ɹ), -uːklɪə(ɹ), -uːkjələ(ɹ)

Adjective

nuclear (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to the nucleus of an atom. [from 20th c.]
2. Involving energy released by nuclear reactions (fission, fusion, radioactive decay). [from 20th c.]

3. Relating to a weapon that derives its force from rapid release of energy through nuclear reactions. [from 20th c.]

4. (by extension, figurative, of a solution or response) Involving an extreme course of action.
5. (biology) Pertaining to the nucleus of a cell. [from 19th c.]
6. (archaic) Pertaining to a centre around which something is developed or organised; central, pivotal. [from 19th c.]

Usage notes

• The pronunciation /nukjəlɚ/, although included by some sources such as Merriam-Webster (Online 10th Edition), is nonstandard and listed as such. See also nucular, and nucular in Wikipedia.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• Nuclear on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Noun

nuclear (countable and uncountable, plural nuclears)

1. Nuclear power.
2. Nuclear weapon

Anagrams

• crenula, lucarne, unclear

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [nu.kleˈar]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [nu.kleˈa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [nu.kleˈaɾ]

Adjective

nuclear m or f (masculine and feminine plural nuclears)

1. nuclear

Derived terms

Related terms

• nucli

Further reading

• “nuclear” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “nuclear”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “nuclear” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “nuclear” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Pronunciation

Adjective

nuclear m or f (plural nucleares)

1. nuclear

Derived terms

• termonuclear

Related terms

• núcleo

Further reading

• “nuclear” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Occitan

Pronunciation

Adjective

nuclear m (feminine singular nucleara, masculine plural nuclears, feminine plural nuclearas)

1. nuclear

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nykleˈar/

Adjective

nuclear

1. nuclear

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: nu‧cle‧ar

Adjective

nuclear m or f (plural nucleares)

1. nuclear; central (to a centre around which something is developed or organised)
2. (biology) nuclear (relating to the nucleus of cells)
3. (physics) nuclear (relating to the nucleus of atoms)
4. nuclear (involving atomic energy or weapons)

Derived terms

• termonuclear

Related terms

• núcleo

Further reading

• “nuclear” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French nucléaire.

Adjective

nuclear m or n (feminine singular nucleară, masculine plural nucleari, feminine and neuter plural nucleare)

1. nuclear

Declension

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nukleˈaɾ/ [nu.kleˈaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: nu‧cle‧ar

Etymology 1

From nucleo +‎ -ar, ultimately from Latin nuculeus.

Adjective

nuclear m or f (masculine and feminine plural nucleares)

1. nuclear

Derived terms

Related terms

Etymology 2

Verb

nuclear (first-person singular present nucleo, first-person singular preterite nucleé, past participle nucleado)

1. to join up; to unite

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading

• “nuclear”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
• Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN

Anagrams

• Lucerna