transuranic

1 of 2

adjective

trans·ura·nic ˌtran(t)-syu̇-ˈra-nik

-shə-,

-ˈrā-;

ˌtran-zyu̇-,

-zhə-

variants or transuranium

ˌtran(t)-syu̇-ˈrā-nē-əm

-shə-,

-ˈrā-;

ˌtran-zyu̇-,

-zhə-

: of, relating to, or being an element with an atomic number greater than that of uranium

transuranic

2 of 2

Examples of transuranic in a Sentence

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Adjective

Driving the news: The department issued its report last month summarizing work toward finding a future home for transuranic, or TRU, wastes. —Chuck McCutcheon, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025

Meanwhile, some atoms of uranium-238 can absorb neutrons and become plutonium and other transuranic elements. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2024 There is an alternative to disposing of transuranic elements: they can be separated from the reactor fuel every few years and then recycled into new nuclear reactor fuel as an additional energy source. —Ernest Moniz, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2011 The final repository for much of the U.S.'s transuranic nuclear waste is a mine, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, located in the southern part of New Mexico, between Carlsbad and the oil town of Hobbs. —Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 The most radioactive waste Los Alamos produces, called transuranic waste, primarily involves contaminated gloves, tools, equipment, and other debris that are typically stuffed into 55-gallon drums stored on site until they can be hauled to an underground facility in southeastern New Mexico. —Time, 24 July 2023 Currently, the subterranean landfill carved out of an ancient salt formation is licensed to take transuranic waste, or waste generated by the nation’s nuclear weapons program that is contaminated with radioactive elements heavier than uranium. —Susan Montoya Bryan, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2022 Salt is another rock type favored for nuclear waste disposal; the USA uses salt caverns in New Mexico to dispose of transuranic waste (similar to intermediate-level waste) from military sources. —Howard Lee, Ars Technica, 17 Aug. 2022 So Bormanis came up with his own fictional heavy element, dysonium (named in honor of physicist Freeman Dyson), something with an atomic weight in the 130-135 range—well above the transuranic elements in the period table. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2018

Noun

Meitner and Hahn had published multiple papers on transuranics. —Ashraya Gupta, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1935, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of transuranic was in 1935

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trans-Uranian

transuranic

transurethral

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“Transuranic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transuranic. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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transuranic

adjective

noun

Examples of transuranic in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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transuranic

adjective

noun

Examples of transuranic in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for transuranic

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