About
钚, the simplified form of 鈈, is a phonosemantic compound created for the radioactive element plutonium. The metal radical 钅 (金 in traditional) marks it as a metal, following the naming convention for metallic elements. The right-hand component 不 (bù) provides the sound, chosen to approximate the "plu" or "bu" from the international name. A modern coinage with no pre‑modern history, it uses the standard phonetic‑translation method to represent scientific terminology.
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.