As adjectives the difference between nuclear and thermonuclear
is that nuclear is pertaining to the nucleus of a cell while thermonuclear is of, or relating to the fusion of atomic nuclei at high temperatures.
nuclear
English
Adjective
(
-)
(biology) Pertaining to the nucleus of a cell.
* 2011 , Terence Allen and Graham Cowling, The Cell: A Very Short Introduction , Oxford 2011, p. 17:
- However, the DNA in a bacterial cell is a single circular molecule and there is no separate nuclear compartment.
Pertaining to a centre around which something is developed or organised; central, pivotal.
Pertaining to the atomic nucleus.
Involving atomic energy.
- a nuclear reactor
Of a weapon: deriving its force from rapid release of atomic energy.
- a nuclear explosion
Usage notes
* The pronunciation .[Geoffrey Nunberg, “[http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~nunberg/nucular.html Going Nucular”, 2002.]
Derived terms
* corticonuclear
* nuclear age
* nuclear airburst
* nuclear aircraft
* nuclear artillery
* nuclear cataract
* nuclear certifiable
* nuclear certified
* nuclear chain reaction
* nuclear chemistry
* nuclear cytoplasm
* nuclear electric rocket
* nuclear emulsion
* nuclear energy
* nuclear fallout
* nuclear family
* nuclear fission
* nuclear force
* nuclear fuel
* nuclear-free
* nuclear gene
* nuclear halo
* nuclear hardness
* nuclear hazard
* nuclear incident
* nuclear inclusion body
* nuclear intelligence
* nuclear isomer
* nuclear lamina
* nuclear magnetic moment
* nuclear magnetic resonance
* nuclear magneton
* nuclear material
* nuclear matrix
* nuclear nation
* nuclear navy
* nuclear notation
* nuclear operator
* nuclear ophthalmoplegia
* nuclear option
* nuclear Overhauser effect
* nuclear parity
* nuclear photonic rocket
* nuclear physics
* nuclear poison
* nuclear power
* nuclear quadropole resonance
* nuclear radiation
* nuclear reaction
* nuclear reactor
* nuclear sclerosis
* nuclear sharing
* nuclear technology
* nuclear terrorism
* nuclear testing
* nuclear transfer
* nuclear underground burst
* nuclear underwater burst
* nuclear vulnerability assessment
* nuclear war
* nuclear warfare
* nuclear waste
* nuclear weapon
* nuclear winter
* nuclear yield
Related terms
* nuclei
* nucleus
References
External links
(pedia)
Anagrams
*
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thermonuclear
Adjective
(-)
Of, or relating to the fusion of atomic nuclei at high temperatures.
Of, or relating to the use of atomic weapons based on such fusion, especially as distinguished from those based on fission.
Quotations
* The first thermonuclear reaction was in a star; it was brought about by heat, as the description implies. .
See also
* pycnonuclear