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alkaline earth

American  

noun

Chemistry.
  1. any of the oxides of barium, radium, strontium, calcium, and, sometimes, magnesium.


alkaline earth British  

noun

  1. Also called: alkaline earth metal.   alkaline earth element.  any of the divalent electropositive metals beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium, belonging to group 2A of the periodic table

  2. an oxide of one of the alkaline earth metals

"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

Etymology

Origin of alkaline earth

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

The only result that popped up pertained to chemistry: specifically, to the periodic table and the atomic numbers of the alkaline earth metals.

From New York Times May 21, 2023

Hydrogen carbonates of the alkaline earth metals remain stable only in solution; evaporation of the solution produces the carbonate.

From Textbooks Feb. 14, 2019

The group 12 elements behave more like the alkaline earth metals than transition metals.

From Textbooks Feb. 14, 2019

An atom of the alkaline earth metal beryllium, with an atomic number of 4, contains four protons in the nucleus and four electrons surrounding the nucleus.

From Textbooks Feb. 14, 2019

Sulphuret: A combination of an alkaline earth or metal with sulphur, as Sulphuret of iron, a combination of iron and sulphur.

From American Woman's Home by Beecher, Catharine Esther

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