"moly cow" meaning in English

See moly cow in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈməʊli kaʊ̯/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈmoʊli kaʊ̯/ [General-American] Forms: moly cows [plural]
Etymology: From moly (informal term for molybdenum) + cow. The word cow alludes to the fact that the device “milks” technetium-99m from molybdenum-99: see quotations. Etymology templates: {{m|en|molybdenum}} molybdenum, {{m|en|cow}} cow Head templates: {{en-noun}} moly cow (plural moly cows)
  1. (chemistry, medicine, informal) A device used to extract from a source of decaying molybdenum-99 the metastable isotope ⁹⁹ᵐTc of technetium, which is the most commonly used medical radioisotope. Wikipedia link: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Tags: informal Categories (topical): Chemistry, Medical equipment, Medicine, Molybdenum, Radioactivity, Technetium Synonyms: technetium-99m generator, technetium cow Related terms: holy cow
    Sense id: en-moly_cow-en-noun-33gAZOsQ Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Topics: chemistry, medicine, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for moly cow meaning in English (5.0kB)

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  "etymology_text": "From moly (informal term for molybdenum) + cow. The word cow alludes to the fact that the device “milks” technetium-99m from molybdenum-99: see quotations.",
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        {
          "ref": "2012, Theodore [W.] Gray, The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe, New York, N.Y.: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers",
          "text": "When the ⁹⁹Tcₘ isotope is needed for medical imaging purposes, it has to be created on the spot because its half-life is only six hours. This is done using a device filled with longer-lived ⁹⁹Mo, which decays into ⁹⁹Tcₘ, continually replenishing the supply within the device. Because the process of removing the accumulated ⁹⁹Tcₘ is called \"milking\", the device is informally known as a \"moly cow.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Paul Parsons, Gail Dixon, The Periodic Table: A Field Guide to the Elements, London: Quercus",
          "text": "The radioactive isotope molybdenum-99 (half-life of 66 hours) decays to generate technetium-99m, which has a half-life of only six hours and is used in hospitals for medical imaging. The technetium isotope collects in various parts of the body, in particular bone. Scanners detect the radiation from the isotope to create an image, enabling diagnosis. The process uses a device that is filled with Mo-99, which decays into Tc-99m, forming a continuous supply that is ‘milked off’. The device is nicknamed the ‘moly cow’.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013 November 6, Chary Rangacharyulu, “Radioactivity”, in Physics of Nuclear Radiations: Concepts, Techniques and Applications, Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, page 43",
          "text": "Clearly, transporting the daughter in equilibrium with the parent is a more economical, safer, and environmentally friendlier approach. This is the reason that \"technetium generators,\" dubbed \"moly cows,\" are transported around the globe instead of the ⁹⁹ᵐTc isotope.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A device used to extract from a source of decaying molybdenum-99 the metastable isotope ⁹⁹ᵐTc of technetium, which is the most commonly used medical radioisotope."
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        "(chemistry, medicine, informal) A device used to extract from a source of decaying molybdenum-99 the metastable isotope ⁹⁹ᵐTc of technetium, which is the most commonly used medical radioisotope."
      ],
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          "word": "technetium-99m generator"
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  "word": "moly cow"
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          "ref": "2012, Theodore [W.] Gray, The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe, New York, N.Y.: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers",
          "text": "When the ⁹⁹Tcₘ isotope is needed for medical imaging purposes, it has to be created on the spot because its half-life is only six hours. This is done using a device filled with longer-lived ⁹⁹Mo, which decays into ⁹⁹Tcₘ, continually replenishing the supply within the device. Because the process of removing the accumulated ⁹⁹Tcₘ is called \"milking\", the device is informally known as a \"moly cow.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Paul Parsons, Gail Dixon, The Periodic Table: A Field Guide to the Elements, London: Quercus",
          "text": "The radioactive isotope molybdenum-99 (half-life of 66 hours) decays to generate technetium-99m, which has a half-life of only six hours and is used in hospitals for medical imaging. The technetium isotope collects in various parts of the body, in particular bone. Scanners detect the radiation from the isotope to create an image, enabling diagnosis. The process uses a device that is filled with Mo-99, which decays into Tc-99m, forming a continuous supply that is ‘milked off’. The device is nicknamed the ‘moly cow’.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "ref": "2013 November 6, Chary Rangacharyulu, “Radioactivity”, in Physics of Nuclear Radiations: Concepts, Techniques and Applications, Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, page 43",
          "text": "Clearly, transporting the daughter in equilibrium with the parent is a more economical, safer, and environmentally friendlier approach. This is the reason that \"technetium generators,\" dubbed \"moly cows,\" are transported around the globe instead of the ⁹⁹ᵐTc isotope.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
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        "A device used to extract from a source of decaying molybdenum-99 the metastable isotope ⁹⁹ᵐTc of technetium, which is the most commonly used medical radioisotope."
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        "(chemistry, medicine, informal) A device used to extract from a source of decaying molybdenum-99 the metastable isotope ⁹⁹ᵐTc of technetium, which is the most commonly used medical radioisotope."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
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  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈməʊli kaʊ̯/",
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      "ipa": "/ˈmoʊli kaʊ̯/",
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    {
      "word": "technetium-99m generator"
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    {
      "word": "technetium cow"
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  "word": "moly cow"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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