nuclear

UK/ˈnjuː.klɪə(ɹ)/US/ˈn(j)u.kli.ɚ/

adjectiveB1+3 meanings Very common — you will meet it every day · #1,581 of 15,258leans written

Nuclear means using the energy locked inside the nucleus of an atom. Nuclear power, a nuclear reactor, nuclear weapons.

It is the standard word in energy and defence, and it carries a great deal of political weight in both. The pronunciation is NEW-clee-ar, and the common mispronunciation nucular is noticeable enough to have been a running joke about several public figures. Note the two other uses: a nuclear family means parents and children only, as against an extended family, and the nuclear option means the most drastic course available, which is now used in offices as freely as in politics.

Definitions of nuclear

1adjectivenuclearUsing energy from the nucleus of atoms.B1+
“About fifteen percent of the electricity is nuclear.”
2adjectiveweaponsRelating to nuclear weapons.B1
“The nuclear arsenal has been cut by two thirds.”
3adjectivecellRelating to the nucleus of a cell or an atom.B2
“The change happens at the nuclear level.”

Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.

nuclear is a source of energy.

Phrases it lives in

the nuclear option — the most drastic course available, held back until nothing else works

Where it comes from

Latin nucleus meant a kernel or little nut, from nux, a nut. The nucleus of an atom was named by analogy with the kernel of a cell, and nuclear is simply its adjective — so the most fearsome word in modern politics comes from a small nut.

Latin
nū̆cleus
English, today
nuclear

Built from

nuculea · Latin — pertaining to a small nut

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, nucleus + -ar. Compare muscle and Latin mūsculus; muscular and mūsculāris.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Science & Space

Practise this word

nuclear in the wild

Particle physics evolved out of nuclear physics and the two fields are typically taught in close association.
Nuclear physics
The majority of nuclear weapons have energy yields between 100 and 1,000 kilotons of TNT.
Nuclear weapon
Hundreds of nuclear explosions would likely cause nuclear winter and nuclear famine.
Nuclear weapon
Four UN member states have never accepted the NPT, three of which possess or are thought to possess nuclear weapons: India, Israel, and Pakistan.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
UN officials have said that they can do little to stop states using nuclear reactors to produce nuclear weapons.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the nū̆cleus family

nuclear

nuclear — used about once every 175 pages · #1,581 · point at the bar for the others

nuclear family

Definitions of nuclear

1adjectivenuclearUsing energy from the nucleus of atoms.B1+

“About fifteen percent of the electricity is nuclear.”

2adjectiveweaponsRelating to nuclear weapons.B1

“The nuclear arsenal has been cut by two thirds.”

3adjectivecellRelating to the nucleus of a cell or an atom.B2

“The change happens at the nuclear level.”

Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.

nuclear is a source of energy.