carbon 14

noun

: a heavy radioactive isotope of carbon of mass number 14 used especially in tracer studies and in dating old materials (such as archaeological and geologic specimens)

Examples of carbon 14 in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 2008, a Danish physicist, Jan Heinemeier, devised a way to test lens crystallines found in the eye for carbon 14, and thereby establish, very roughly, the owner’s age. Katherine Rundell, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024 Layers in the core were dated by analyzing the carbon 14 content of shells left by microscopic organisms called foraminafera. Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 July 2012 After death the radioactive carbon 14 atoms begin to decay, changing into stable atoms of nitrogen. James Shreeve, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 But some is made up of the unstable, radioactive form carbon 14. James Shreeve, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Skeptics questioned the dating method used in the 2021 study, which measured the levels of radioactive carbon 14 in seeds of the freshwater plant Ruppia cirrhosa—also known as spiral ditchgrass—in layers of sediment above and below the footprints. Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2023 Miyake’s efforts paid off, however, when the data revealed an anomalously large increase in the concentration of carbon 14 precisely in the year C.E. 775. Katherine Kornei, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2023 Her goal was to measure the amount of carbon 14—a radioactive isotope of carbon commonly used to date archaeological artifacts. Katherine Kornei, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2023 The researchers followed up with tree rings and saw a corresponding spike of carbon 14. Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carbon 14.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carbon 14 was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near carbon 14

Cite this Entry

“Carbon 14.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carbon%2014. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

carbon 14

noun
-(ˈ)fōr(t)-ˈtēn,
-(ˈ)fȯr-
: a heavy radioactive form of carbon of mass number 14 used especially in finding out the age of very old remains (as bones or charcoal) of formerly living materials

Medical Definition

: a heavy radioactive isotope of carbon of mass number 14 used especially in tracer studies and in dating archaeological and geological materials
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