/ ˌrʌðəˈfɔːdiəm; NAmE ˌrʌðərˈfɔːrd-/ noun
[ U ] ( symb Rf ) a chemical element. Rutherfordium is radioactive and does not exist in nature but is produced artificially when atoms collide (= crash into each other) .
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WORD ORIGIN
1960s: modern Latin , named after E. Rutherford (1871-1937), the New Zealand physicist.