vanadium
Americannoun
noun
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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.
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But they are expensive and typically use a metallic element - vanadium - that is only produced in a few places round the world.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Ionic MT said it discovered high grades of 16 different types of minerals, everything from lithium to alumina, germanium, rubidium, cesium, vanadium and niobium at the site in Utah’s Silicon Ridge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
The EPA does not currently classify vanadium as a carcinogen, but other health groups have said it could cause lung cancer based on evidence from animal trials.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025
Kombu is also an unassuming health boost; as noted by Dr. Josh Axe with Dr. Axe, it "offers tons of minerals, such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, vanadium and zinc."
From Salon ● May 14, 2024
Through its commercial control of the Peruvian deposits, the United States dominates the world's vanadium situation.
From The Economic Aspect of Geology by C. K. (Charles Kenneth) Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.