curie
noun
cu·rie
ˈkyu̇r-(ˌ)ē 
ˈkyər-;
kyu̇-ˈrē
plural curies
1
: a unit quantity of any radioactive nuclide in which 3.7 × 1010 disintegrations occur per second
2
: a unit of radioactivity equal to 3.7 × 1010 disintegrations per second
—abbreviation c, Ci
compare becquerel
Examples of curie in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Here's a partial list of models that will be deprecated:
ada
babbage
curie
davinci
davinci-instruct-beta
curie-instruct-beta
text-ada-001
text-babbage-001
text-curie-001
text-davinci-001
text-davinci-002
text-davinci-003
OpenAI will provide drop-in replacements for these older models.
—
Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023
Know Your Terms: A curie is a measurement of radioactive decay, named after perhaps the most iconic woman scientist in history, Marie Curie.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Mar. 2023
The limit for cesium-137, for instance, is 4,600 curies (or 1.7 x 10 14 bequerels) per cubic meter.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2020
The average concentration of plutonium in the surface soil of the refuge portion of the site is 1.1 picocuries (trillionths of a curie) per gram (pCi/g).
—Vincent Carroll, The Denver Post, 16 June 2017
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Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023
Know Your Terms: A curie is a measurement of radioactive decay, named after perhaps the most iconic woman scientist in history, Marie Curie.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Mar. 2023
The limit for cesium-137, for instance, is 4,600 curies (or 1.7 x 10 14 bequerels) per cubic meter.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Apr. 2020
The average concentration of plutonium in the surface soil of the refuge portion of the site is 1.1 picocuries (trillionths of a curie) per gram (pCi/g).
—Vincent Carroll, The Denver Post, 16 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Curie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curie. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
curie
noun
cu·rie
ˈkyu̇(ə)r-(ˌ)ē
kyu̇-ˈrē
: a unit of radioactivity equal to 37 billion disintegrations per second
Medical Definition
curie
noun
cu·rie
ˈkyu̇(ə)r-(ˌ)ē, kyu̇-ˈrē
1
: a unit quantity of any radioactive nuclide in which 3.7 × 1010 disintegrations occur per second
2
: a unit of radioactivity equal to 3.7 × 1010 disintegrations per second
Biographical Definition
Curie 1 of 3
biographical name (1)
Cu·rie
kyu̇-ˈrē
ˈkyu̇r-(ˌ)ē
ˈkyu̇r-(ˌ)ē
Eve 1904–2007 daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie American (French-born) author
Curie
2 of 3biographical name (2)
Marie 1867–1934 née
Maria Skłodowska
sklə-ˈdȯf-skə
-ˈdȯv-
French (Polish-born) chemist
Curie
3 of 3biographical name (3)
Pierre 1859–1906 husband of Marie Curie French chemist
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