n. a radioactive isotope of carbon with a half-life of 5730 years. It occurs naturally in minute quantities, and is used as the basis for radiocarbon dating. Syn. -- radiocarbon, carbon 14. [ WordNet 1.5 ]
(n) a chemical analysis used to determine the age of organic materials based on their content of the radioisotope carbon-14; believed to be reliable up to 40, 000 years, Syn. carbon dating, carbon-14 dating