Definition of "ionizing radiation" [ionizing radiation]

• High-energy radiation capable of producing ionization in substances through which it passes. It includes nonparticulate radiation, such as x-rays, and radiation produced by energetic charged particles, such as alpha and beta rays, and by neutrons, as from a nuclear reaction. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It seems clear that heavy dosages — and I mean heavy dosages — of ionizing radiation and dense relativistic-particle fluxes can disable or kill space horses, with the sensory clusters being especially vulnerable."