antiradiation
|an-ti-ra-di-a-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˌreɪ.diˈeɪ.ʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tiˌreɪ.dɪˈeɪ.ʃən/
against radiation / protecting from radiation
Etymology
'antiradiation' is a modern English compound formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') and 'radiation' (from Latin 'radiatio', from 'radius' meaning 'ray').
'radiation' comes from Latin 'radiatio' (from 'radius' meaning 'ray'), passed into scientific Latin and then into English; the productive prefix 'anti-' (Greek 'anti-') combined with scientific nouns in modern English to form compounds like 'antiradiation'.
Initially, the elements meant 'against' + 'ray' or 'emission'; over time the compound came to mean either 'protection against ionizing radiation' or, in military contexts, 'against radar/radio emissions'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a material, device, or technology intended to protect against or reduce exposure to radiation.
Engineers tested a new antiradiation for workers in the lab.
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Adjective 1
designed to prevent, block, or reduce the effects of (ionizing) radiation; providing protection from radiation.
The hospital installed antiradiation shielding around the imaging equipment.
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Adjective 2
relating to weapons or systems that detect, home on, or suppress enemy radar or radio emissions (military usage; often hyphenated 'anti-radar').
The squadron carried antiradiation missiles to neutralize enemy radar sites.
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Last updated: 2025/09/08 14:44