|
Definition of China syndrome
1. Noun. (idiomatic nuclear physics uncountable) A hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and penetrates the earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemisphere Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China. ¹
2. Noun. (idiomatic countable nuclear physics possibly _ nonstandard) One instance of such a nuclear mishap. ¹
3. Noun. (idiomatic countable sometimes fanciful ) A behavior, policy, or situation characteristic of or involving China; an actual or potential catastrophe, especially one involving China. ¹
4. Noun. (medicine) A rare disease, first characterized in the early 1990s, which resembles poliomyelitis but which has somewhat different characteristics and occurs in persons vaccinated for poliomyelitis. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Medical Definition of China syndrome
1.