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china syndrome

chi·na syn·drome
C c

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [chahy-nuh sin-drohm, -druh m]
    • /ˈtʃaɪ nə ˈsɪn droʊm, -drəm/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [chahy-nuh sin-drohm, -druh m]
    • /ˈtʃaɪ nə ˈsɪn droʊm, -drəm/

Definitions of china syndrome words

  • noun china syndrome a hypothetical nuclear-reactor accident in which the fuel would melt through the floor of the containment structure and burrow into the earth. 1
  • noun china syndrome (Idiomatic) (nuclear physics) NU A hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and penetrates the earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China. 0
  • noun china syndrome (Idiomatic) NC (nuclear physics, possibly nonstandard) One instance of such a nuclear mishap. 0
  • noun china syndrome (Idiomatic) NC (sometimes fanciful) A behavior, policy, or situation characteristic of or involving China; an actual or potential catastrophe, especially one involving China. 0
  • noun china syndrome (medicine) A rare disease, first characterized in the early 1990s, which resembles poliomyelitis but which has somewhat different characteristics and occurs in persons vaccinated for poliomyelitis. 0
See all 5 definitions of china syndrome

Information block about the term

Origin of china syndrome

First appearance:

before 1970
One of the 2% newest English words
First recorded in 1970-75; from the jocular notion that the hot reactor core would pass through to the other side of the earth

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for China syndrome

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of China syndrome

china syndrome popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 31% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 69% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

Synonyms for china syndrome

noun china syndrome

  • nuclear winter — the general devastation of life, along with worldwide darkness and extreme cold, that some scientists believe would result from a global dust cloud screening out sunlight following large-scale nuclear detonations.
Just one Synonym for china syndrome

See also

Matching words

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