Standard Lemma guide

fissile

adj · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈfɪsˌaɪ.əl/
  • /ˈfɪsˌəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F IH1 S AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Able to be split.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Easily split along a grain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

capable of being split or cleft or divided in the direction of the grain

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • fissile crystals
  • fissile wood

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: nonfissile

5

adjective

Meaning 5

capable of undergoing nuclear fission

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a fissionable nucleous
  • fissionable material

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fissionable

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fissilis.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: цеплив (cepliv) — able to be split
  • Dutch: splijtbaar — able to be split
  • French: fissible — able to be split
  • German: spaltbar — able to be split
  • Greek: διασπάσιμος (diaspásimos) — able to be split
  • Greek: διαχωρίσιμος (diachorísimos) — able to be split
  • Manx: yn-scoltey — able to be split
  • Portuguese: cindível — able to be split
  • Portuguese: fissível — able to be split
  • Swedish: klyvbar — able to be split
  • Welsh: ymholltus — able to be split
  • Welsh: hyhollt — able to be split
  • Greek: εύσχιστος (éfschistos) — easily split along a grain
  • Polish: łupliwy — easily split along a grain
  • Bulgarian: разцепващ се (razcepvašt se) — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • Czech: štěpný — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • German: spaltbar — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • Greek: διασπάσιμος (diaspásimos) — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • Greek: σχάσιμος (schásimos) — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • Polish: rozszczepialny — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • Spanish: físil — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • Spanish: fisible — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • Spanish: fisionable — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction
  • Swedish: fissil — capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction