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  • palladium
    palladium
    noun
    a rare metallic element of the platinum group, silver-white, ductile and malleable, harder and fusing more readily than platinum: used chiefly as a catalyst and in dental and other alloys. Pd; 106.4; 46; 12 at 20°C.
  • Palladium
    Palladium
    noun
    Also Palladion a statue of Athena, especially one on the citadel of Troy on which the safety of the city was supposed to depend.

palladium

1 American  
[puh-lay-dee-uhm] / pəˈleɪ di əm /

noun

Chemistry.
  1. a rare metallic element of the platinum group, silver-white, ductile and malleable, harder and fusing more readily than platinum: used chiefly as a catalyst and in dental and other alloys. Pd; 106.4; 46; 12 at 20°C.


Palladium 2 American  
[puh-lay-dee-uhm] / pəˈleɪ di əm /

noun

  • Palladia
    plural
  1. Also Palladion a statue of Athena, especially one on the citadel of Troy on which the safety of the city was supposed to depend.

  2. (usually lowercase) anything believed to provide protection or safety; safeguard.


palladium 1 British  
/ pəˈleɪdɪəm /

noun

  1. something believed to ensure protection; safeguard

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Palladium 2 British  
/ pəˈleɪdɪəm /

noun

  1. a statue of Pallas Athena, esp the one upon which the safety of Troy depended

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

palladium 3 British  
/ pəˈleɪdɪəm /

noun

  1. a ductile malleable silvery-white element of the platinum metal group occurring principally in nickel-bearing ores: used as a hydrogenation catalyst and, alloyed with gold, in jewellery. Symbol: Pd; atomic no: 46; atomic wt: 106.42; valency: 2, 3, or 4; relative density: 1202; melting pt: 1555°C; boiling pt: 2964°C

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

palladium Scientific  
/ pə-lā′dē-əm /
  1. A malleable, ductile, grayish-white metallic element that occurs naturally with platinum. It is used as a catalyst in hydrogenation and in alloys for making electrical contacts and jewelry. Atomic number 46; atomic weight 106.4; melting point 1,552°C; boiling point 3,140°C; specific gravity 12.02 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4.

  2. See Periodic Table


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of palladium1

Special use of Palladium; named (1803) after the asteroid Pallas, then newly discovered; see -ium

Origin of Palladium2

< Latin Palladium < Greek Palládion, noun use of neuter of Palládios of Pallas, equivalent to Pallad- (stem of Pallás ) Pallas + -ios adj. suffix


Explanation

Palladium is an extremely valuable precious metal. Closely related to platinum, palladium is also silvery-white and shiny. When William Hyde Wollaston discovered palladium in 1803, he named it after one of the largest known asteroids, Pallas. Earlier, the word had been used to mean "a source of protection," inspired by the Greek goddess Athena, who was commonly referred to as Pallas. The precious metal shares chemical properties with many others, and it's used to clean the exhaust from cars, as well as in jewelry and electronics.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He said he’s watching to see if palladium — an investment he bought at the end of 2023 but sold in January — falls further.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Catalytic converters made with precious metals palladium, platinum and rhodium are especially targeted, according to the Justice Department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

The team found that phosphite, a form of phosphorus naturally found in hydrothermal vents, can react with organic compounds in the presence of palladium and produce reactions associated with metabolic phosphorylation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Dead batteries yield lithium, cobalt and nickel; LED screens contain germanium; circuit boards hold platinum and palladium; hard disks store rare earths -- e‑waste has long been described as a "gold mine" for critical minerals.

From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026

Education am the palladium of our liberties and the grand pandemonium of civilization.”

From The Women of Tomorrow by William Hard

A week later, Jack White, moved by their plight and inspired by their sound, offered them an opening slot on his Palladium stand instead — “Get in front of me, Satan!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The Bilt Palladium, $495 annual fee: I was already considering the Bilt card before talking to Kelly because it appears to fit how I currently spend.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

The Sex Pistols headlining the Palladium in New York City or the Agora in Cleveland wouldn’t have made splashy headlines.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

Nearly two decades after its debut, Health sold out the 4,000-capacity Hollywood Palladium for its Friday show, the biggest hometown headline gig of its career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

In a dark night he climbed the wall with Odysseus’ help, found the Palladium and took it to the camp.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

The most appealing part of the package is a new documentary, R.E.M. by MTV, culled from the material and directed by Alex Young, which will also air on Palladia and VH1 Classic.

From BusinessWeek ● Nov. 26, 2014

TV rights to air "This Is It" on its MTV and BET family of networks -- including VH1 and Palladia, as well as MTV and BET -- for six years.

From Reuters ● Jun. 21, 2010

Palladia was a master at building churches, convents and palaces.

From Time Magazine Archive

There also exists a set of small Mycenaean relics called Palladia, found at Mycenae, Spata and in the earliest strata of the Acropolis at Athens.

From Homer and His Age by Andrew Lang

It contained a Rajputana parrakeet, not much larger than a robin, but possessor of a soul as fierce as that of Palladia, minus, however, the smoothing influence of chivalry.

From Parrot & Co. by Harold MacGrath

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