Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Made up of two atoms.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In chem., consisting of two atoms: as, a diatomic radical: specifically applied to hydrates which have two hydrogen atoms united to the nucleus radical by oxygen. It is these hydrogen atoms alone which are easily replaced by metallic bases or other radicals.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Containing two atoms.
  • adjective Having two replaceable atoms or radicals.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective chemistry, of a molecule, etc. Consisting of two atoms.
  • noun chemistry A diatomic molecule or other species

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or relating to a molecule made up of two atoms

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Even the structure of a diatomic molecule like O2 is not an existant thing … in other words, the structure (shape) of it does not exist in addition to the two oxygen atoms.

    Against Darwinism 2009

  • Mononuclear diatomic gases don't have the broken symmetry that would be required for such quantized states.

    Hansen: Obama has only four years to save the world - NASA Watch 2009

  • Here are a few words about Andromeda from the designer: Emerging from the concept of Netification; the reduction of physical mass through selective perforation across a pre defined form; the concept floats more as a diatomic sea creature in the free ocean of space.

    Lamp in a Bulb 2009

  • Their molecules are diatomic, and as such they aren't capable of achieving the quantized vibrational, rotational or rovibrational states responsible for absorption and emission of thermal radiation.

    Hansen: Obama has only four years to save the world - NASA Watch 2009

  • Nature's desire for the diatomic state is opposed by dihydrinos caught in a changing Casimir depletion field.

    Will 2010 be the Year of Zero Point Energy? 2010

  • Nature's desire for the diatomic state is opposed by dihydrinos caught in a changing Casimir depletion field.

    Printing: Will 2010 be the Year of Zero Point Energy? 2010

  • Nature's desire for the diatomic state is opposed by dihydrinos caught in a changing Casimir depletion field.

    Will 2010 be the Year of Zero Point Energy? 2010

  • In my theory there is no byproduct - nature oscillates between the desired diatomic state and molecular disassociation when the new high mobility molecule finds its covalent bond opposed by the individual atoms still trying to transition to different fractional states (relativistic).

    Will 2010 be the Year of Zero Point Energy? 2010

  • In particular, argon is the cheapest alternative when diatomic nitrogen is not sufficiently inert.

    Argon 2009

  • Jets spewing from the comet's nucleus contain cyanogen (CN: a poisonous gas found in many comets) and diatomic carbon (C2).

    Green Comet Approaches Earth Oldhead1 2009

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