Roentgen

[ rent-guhn, -juhn, ruhnt-; German rœnt-guhn ]

noun

1. Wil·helm Kon·rad [wil, -helm , kon, -rad, vil, -helm , kawn, -, r, aht], 1845–1923, German physicist: discoverer of x-rays 1895; Nobel Prize 1901.
2. (lowercase) Physics. a unit of exposure dose that measures x-rays or gamma rays in terms of the ions or electrons produced in dry air at 0° C and one atmosphere, equal to the amount of radiation producing one electrostatic unit of positive or negative charge per cubic centimeter of air. : r, R

adjective

1. (sometimes lowercase) of or relating to Wilhelm Roentgen, the Roentgen unit, or especially to x-rays.

roentgen

¹

/ ˈrɛnt-; -tjən; ˈrɒntɡən /

noun

1. a unit of dose of electromagnetic radiation equal to the dose that will produce in air a charge of 0.258 × 10 ^–3coulomb on all ions of one sign, when all the electrons of both signs liberated in a volume of air of mass one kilogram are stopped completely Rr

Roentgen

²

/ ˈrœntɡən; ˈrɒntɡən; ˈrɛnt-; -tjən /

noun

1. RoentgenWilhelm Konrad18451923MGermanSCIENCE: physicist Wilhelm Konrad (ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈkɔnraːt). 1845–1923, German physicist, who in 1895 discovered X-rays: Nobel prize for physics 1901

Roentgen

/ rĕnt′gən,rĕnt′jən /

1. German physicist who discovered x-rays in 1895 and went on to develop x-ray photography, which revolutionized medical diagnosis. In 1901 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Roentgen¹

C20: named after W. K. Roentgen

Example Sentences

Nevertheless, we now have argon in the atmosphere, the x-rays of Roentgen, and the radium of the Curies, all of which illustrate the inadequacy of our former methods, and the prematurity of our former syntheses.

From Scientific American

But he took that work no further and instead sent his images to the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen, who was also working on the technology.

From Wall Street Journal

In the year of his arrival in Cambridge, Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X rays at the University of Würzburg in Germany, and the next year Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity.

From Literature

It showed a mom, dad and son bombarded by radiation, staring with “1,000 Roentgens ALL KILLED.”

From Seattle Times

Roentgen’s report prompted the Parisian physicist Henri Becquerel to look for other signs of X-rays.

From Literature