Akɩtɩnɩyɔm kɛ kpɛlɩ kpɛlɛkʊʊ tɛ pʊtʊ weyi ɛtɔʊʊ cɛnzɩ nɛ ɛ-ñʊʊ mayaɣ kɔyɔ 89 nɛ yʊsaɣ ñɩŋa yɔ Ac. Ɛ-hɩɖɛ lɩna krɛkɩ kɩbɩnʊʊ kʊnʊŋ taa ἀκτίς, tɛ tɛ lɛ ἀκτῖνος (aktinos), pʊ-tɔbʊʊ se cɛnzɩ hɛʊʊ tɛ, pɩwɩlɩɣ se pʊtʊ ɛnʊ ɛwɛna mʊntʊsʊʊ. André-Louis Debierne nana pʊtʊ ɛnʊ pɩnaɣ 1899 kɛtɛɖaɣ tɛtʊ naa tɛ kalɩkɔdasɩ lɩm kisidim.

Akɩtɩnɩyɔm tomnaɣ yem kɛ ñɩɣlɩm pʊtʊ kʊhʊlʊm liidiye tɩyɛ nɛ ɛwɛɛ ɖɔfɩɩ. Palɩzɩ-ɩ ʊranɩyɔm ñɩɣlɩm tɛtʊ naa taa kɛlɛ ɛɛɖɔʊʊ.

Kpɛlɩ kpɛlɛkʊʊ hɔɔlʊʊ taa akɩtɩnɩyɔm wɛna wɛtʊ kʊyʊmtʊ ɖɔɖɔ ɛzɩ lantanɩ yɔ nɛ lantanɩdɩ waa lalaa yɔ, nɛ pʊwɛɛ kaɖɛ se patʊʊ ɛ nɛ pʊtʊnaa lalaa yee pohuyuu ʊranɩyɔm ñɩɣlɩm tɛtʊ kɔyɔ.

Akɩtɩnɩdɩ waa tɛ kajalaɣ pʊtʊ, akɩtɩnɩyɔm ha ɛ-hɩɖɛ lone, ɛzɩ lantanɩ haʊ ɛ-hɩɖɛ lantanɩdɩ waa yɔ. Akɩtɩnɩdɩ caɣyɛ nɛ lantanɩdɩ waa pɩtata nɛ pɩnaɣ 1928 Charles Janet lɩza lɩmaɣza keeke mbʊ ɛzɩ pɛlɛzɩ Dmitri Mendeleev caɣyɛ kpata ɖooo ɛzɩ patɩlɩɣ se lantanɩdɩ waa taa wɛ akɩtɩnɩdɩ waa yɔ. Pʊwayɩ kɛlɛ Glenn T. Seaborg tasɩ tisuu pɩyɔɔ pɩnaɣ 1945.