n.
High-energy radiation capable of producing ionization in substances through which it passes. It includes nonparticulate radiation, such as x-rays, and radiation produced by energetic charged particles, such as alpha and beta rays, and by neutrons, as from a nuclear reaction.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
