rare earth

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. the oxide of any of the rare-earth elements contained in various minerals.

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rare earth British  

noun

1. any oxide of a lanthanide

2. Also called: rare-earth element. another name for lanthanide

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Etymology

Origin of rare earth

First recorded in 1875–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rare earth

One major hurdle lies in the economical separation of materials, isolating, grinding up and converting rare earth elements into metal for next-generation magnets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Samples from Chang'e-6 contain extremely low concentrations of rare earth elements and have lower thorium-to-samarium ratios, expressed as Th/Sm, than their Apollo counterparts.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Dateline Resources Ltd. is exploring for rare earth elements outside Joshua Tree National Park, sparking concerns it could deplete water supplies, draw traffic and generate toxic waste.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

This means key disputes on tariffs, China's dominance on rare earth supplies and access to advanced US chips are being kicked forward into yet another round of negotiations.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The first of the rare earth minerals was discovered in 1794 by J. Gadolin and was named gadolinite from its discoverer.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various

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