Atomic


of, pertaining to, resulting from, or using , , or atomic bombs:
an atomic explosion.
propelled or driven by :
an atomic submarine.
Chemistry. existing as free, uncombined .
extremely minute.
Contemporary Examples

By 1951, Maclean was head of the American department of the Foreign Office, with access to the US atomic Energy Commission.
What the Spies Knew: The Secret World of Anglo-American Intelligence Emma Garman September 20, 2013

The video was directed by Danny Clinch and features footage of Hurricane Sandy, atomic explosions, and rising water levels.
Robin Thicke, Jay Z & More Best Music Videos of the Week (VIDEO) Victoria Kezra August 30, 2013

Fat Boy, like the atomic bomb, is both a miracle of human ingenuity and a force of annihilation.
American Dreams: ‘The Mosquito Coast’ by Paul Theroux Nathaniel Rich September 19, 2012

Finally there was the atomic bomb (and the Cold War it created): machine threatened to annihilate all of mankind.
How ‘Her’ Gets the Future Right Andrew Romano December 20, 2013

The UWF believed world government would eliminate the threat of atomic warfare.
Newt to the World: Drop Dead Paul Begala June 9, 2009

Historical Examples

Out of the facts of chemistry the constructive imagination of Dalton formed the atomic theory.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2 John Tyndall

It may be here or there, move fast or slow, but its atomic form persists.
The Machinery of the Universe Amos Emerson Dolbear

The Swifts had first met Chow when they were on an atomic research expedition in the Southwest.
Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X Victor Appleton

The difference is one in the structure of the atomic elements.
The Machinery of the Universe Amos Emerson Dolbear

atomic energy as a potential force for destruction has not been controlled.
Atoms, Nature, and Man Neal O. Hines

adjective
of, using, or characterized by atomic bombs or atomic energy: atomic warfare
of, related to, or comprising atoms: atomic hydrogen
extremely small; minute
(logic) (of a sentence, formula, etc) having no internal structure at the appropriate level of analysis. In predicate calculus, Fa is an atomic sentence and Fx an atomic predicate
adj.

1670s as a philosophical term (see atomistic); scientific sense dates from 1811, from atom + -ic. Atomic number is from 1821; atomic mass is from 1848. Atomic energy first recorded 1906 in modern sense (as intra-atomic energy from 1903).

March, 1903, was an historic date for chemistry. It is, also, as we shall show, a date to which, in all probability, the men of the future will often refer as the veritable beginning of the larger powers and energies that they will control. It was in March, 1903, that Curie and Laborde announced the heat-emitting power of radium. [Robert Kennedy Duncan, “The New Knowledge,” 1906]

Atomic bomb first recorded 1914 in writings of H.G. Wells, who thought of it as a bomb “that would continue to explode indefinitely.”

When you can drop just one atomic bomb and wipe out Paris or Berlin, war will have become monstrous and impossible. [S. Strunsky, “Yale Review,” January 1917]

Atomic Age is from 1945. Atomical is from 1640s.

atomic
(ə-tŏm’ĭk)

Relating to an atom or to atoms.

Employing nuclear energy.

jargon
(From Greek “atomos”, indivisible) Indivisible; cannot be split up.
For example, an instruction may be said to do several things “atomically”, i.e. all the things are done immediately, and there is no chance of the instruction being half-completed or of another being interspersed. Used especially to convey that an operation cannot be interrupted.
An atomic data type has no internal structure visible to the program. It can be represented by a flat domain (all elements are equally defined). Machine integers and Booleans are two examples.
An atomic database transaction is one which is guaranteed to complete successfully or not at all. If an error prevents a partially-performed transaction from proceeding to completion, it must be “backed out” to prevent the database being left in an inconsistent state.
[Jargon File]
(2000-04-03)

Read Also:

  • Atomic age

    the period in history initiated by the first use of the atomic bomb and characterized by atomic energy as a military, political, and industrial factor. Contemporary Examples A haunting new exhibition at SFMOMA surveys the effects of the atomic age on a generation of daring Japanese photographers. Photography that Provokes Philip Gefter October 14, 2009 […]

  • Atomic bomb

    a bomb whose potency is derived from nuclear fission of atoms of fissionable material with the consequent conversion of part of their mass into energy. a bomb whose explosive force comes from a chain reaction based on nuclear fission in U-235 or plutonium. Contemporary Examples Fat Boy, like the atomic bomb, is both a miracle […]

  • Atomic clock

    an extremely accurate electronic clock regulated by the resonance frequency of atoms or molecules of certain substances, as cesium. noun an extremely accurate clock in which an electrical oscillator is controlled by the natural vibrations of an atomic or molecular system such as caesium or ammonia atomic clock An extremely precise clock whose rate is […]

  • Atomic cocktail

    an oral dose of a radioactive substance used in the treatment or diagnosis of cancer. noun an aqueous solution of radioactive substance administered orally as part of the treatment for cancer

  • Atomic energy

    . Contemporary Examples By 1951, Maclean was head of the American department of the Foreign Office, with access to the US atomic energy Commission. What the Spies Knew: The Secret World of Anglo-American Intelligence Emma Garman September 20, 2013 Shahriari was a member of Iran’s atomic energy Agency and by all accounts an integral part […]


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