aluminum

British, al·u·min·i·um

[uh-loo-muh-nuhm]

noun

1. Chemistry.,  a silver-white metallic element, light in weight, ductile, malleable, and not readily corroded or tarnished, occurring combined in nature in igneous rock, shale, clay, and most soil: used in alloys and for lightweight utensils, castings, airplane parts, etc. alum.; Al; 26.98; 13; 2.70 at 20°C.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or containing aluminum.

   an aluminum frying pan.

aluminum

1. Symbol Al A lightweight, silvery-white metallic element that is ductile, is found chiefly in bauxite, and is a good conductor of electricity. It is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust and is used to make a wide variety of products from soda cans to airplane components. Atomic number 13; atomic weight 26.9815; melting point 660.3°C (1,220.5°F); boiling point 2,519°C; specific gravity 2.70; valence 3.

2. See Periodic Table

Other Word Forms

• aluminic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of aluminum¹

1812; from New Latin; aluminum was an alteration, by Humphry Davy, of alumium, which was first proposed; the chiefly British variant aluminium was formed after other metals in -ium. See alumina, -ium

Example Sentences

On the same day Corona Centennial was playing Mater Dei in football, the sounds of baseballs coming off aluminum bats could be heard from the Centennial batting cage.

From Los Angeles Times

After the Home Depot raid, he was taken to a detention center in downtown Sacramento, where he had to sleep on a hard ceramic floor with an aluminum blanket.

From Los Angeles Times

“I mean, they made the first plastic chair. They made the first molded plywood chair. They were the first to use aluminum in a certain way.”

From Los Angeles Times

By the end of the third day of the water ban, using a $4 million mix of aluminum and chlorine, Lake Erie was shocked like a pool back to safe levels.

From Salon

He hit Canadian steel and aluminum with up to 50% tariffs, and slapped Canadian pharmaceuticals and autos with 35% tariffs, depending on where components are made.

From Salon

Related Words

• bottle 
• bucket 
• canister 
• jar 
• package