radiocarbon dating

noun

radiocarbon-date transitive verb

Examples of radiocarbon dating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To evaluate these hypotheses, researchers scanned the structure, inspected it on scuba dives and collected nearby sediment for radiocarbon dating, according to a study published Feb. 12 in the journal PNAS. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024 The bone shards from four separate layers were subjected to radiocarbon dating — the oldest of which dated back over 5,300 years. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 Bureau of Land Management Stone tools unearthed from a rock shelter in Southern Oregon were last used more than 18,000 years ago, radiocarbon dating suggests. Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 10 July 2023 The team used a new method for characterizing metal, combined with radiocarbon dating, to determine the age and possible provenance of those samples. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Jan. 2024 ProPublica also found that since the 1990s researchers have routinely obtained federal research grants to conduct radiocarbon dating, DNA extractions and bone chemistry analyses on Native American remains that Congress expected would have been repatriated within a decade of the law’s passage. Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 8 Dec. 2023 The latest radiocarbon dating revealed that those sandals could be 6,200 years old—centuries older than similar footwear found elsewhere in the Iberian peninsula and Europe, according to a new paper published in the journal Science Advances. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Sep. 2023 Using techniques such as radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis, the team examined the bones of at least 36 individual baboons who lived between 800 and 500 B.C.E. The mummies were excavated in the early 1900s in the necropolis Gabbanat el-Qurud, known as the Valley of the Monkeys, in southern Egypt. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2023 The team performed new radiocarbon dating using conifer pollen taken from the same layers as the grass seeds. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'radiocarbon dating.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of radiocarbon dating was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near radiocarbon dating

Cite this Entry

“Radiocarbon dating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radiocarbon%20dating. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

radiocarbon dating

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on radiocarbon dating

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!