vanadium

American  

[vuh-ney-dee-uhm] / vəˈneɪ di əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare element occurring in certain minerals and obtained as a light-gray powder with a silvery luster or as a ductile metal: used as an ingredient of steel to toughen it and increase its shock resistance. V; 50.942; 23; 5.96.

---

vanadium British  

/ vəˈneɪdɪəm /

noun

1. a toxic silvery-white metallic element occurring chiefly in carnotite and vanadinite and used in steel alloys, high-speed tools, and as a catalyst. Symbol: V; atomic no: 23; atomic wt: 50.9415; valency: 2–5; relative density: 6.11; melting pt: 1910±10°C; boiling pt: 3409°C

---

vanadium Scientific  

/ və-nā′dē-əm /

1. A soft, bright-white metallic element that occurs naturally in several minerals. It has good structural strength and is used especially to make strong varieties of steel. Atomic number 23; atomic weight 50.942; melting point 1,890°C; boiling point 3,000°C; specific gravity 6.11; valence 2, 3, 4, 5.

2. See Periodic Table

---

Etymology

Origin of vanadium

< New Latin (1830) < Icelandic Vanad ( ís ) epithet of Freya ( Vana, genitive of Vanir Vanir + dís goddess) + New Latin -ium -ium

Example Sentences

It used a strong, lightweight vanadium steel alloy to improve durability and featured a high ground clearance engineered to navigate dirt roads.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

“The markets are small for those products,” Hopkins said, adding testing continues on the economics of extracting smelter-grade alumina, a key component of the aluminum supply chain, along with scandium and vanadium.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

For instance, a Washington air tanker base was in 2016 cited by the state Department of Ecology for violating the cadmium, chromium and vanadium limits set by its waste discharge permit.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2024

Those metals included cadmium, uranium, arsenic, vanadium, and chromium.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2024

A variety known as cuprodescloizite is dull green in colour; it contains a considerable amount of copper replacing zinc and some arsenic replacing vanadium.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various