alkaline-earth metal

[ al-kuh-lahyn-urth, -lin- ]

/ ˈæl kəˌlaɪnˈɜrθ, -lɪn- /

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noun Chemistry.

any of the group of bivalent metals including barium, radium, strontium, calcium, and, usually, magnesium, the hydroxides of which are alkalis but less soluble than those of the alkali metals.

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Origin of alkaline-earth metal

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby alkaline-earth metal

alkalimeter, alkalimetry, alkaline, alkaline-ash diet, alkaline earth, alkaline-earth metal, alkaline phosphatase, alkaline soil, alkaline tide, alkalinity, alkalinuria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use alkaline-earth metal in a sentence

The questions going through my mind are: How on earth are there Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers in the heart of Paris?
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One is forced to ask, what on earth was Andrew doing hanging out with scantily clad teenagers?
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They carved a refuge out of the wilderness and then, in 200 years, built it into the most powerful nation on earth.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light|Mike Barnicle|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The taste of metal cutlery after years of plastic can also taste funny.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

In previous decades, hip-hop was something typically preached against, much like rock & roll and heavy metal before it.
Down With the King: Christianity Isn’t Hiding in Rap’s Closet|Stereo Williams|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The Majesty on high has a colony and a people on earth, which otherwise is under the supremacy of the Evil One.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
Individual samples may be slightly alkaline, especially after a full meal.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
All things that are of the earth, shall return to the earth again, and all waters shall return to the sea.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
It was difficult, with the mean appliances of the time, to wring subsistence from the reluctant earth.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

Medical definitions for alkaline-earth metal

alkaline-earth metal

Any of a group of metallic elements including calcium, strontium, magnesium, barium, beryllium, and radium.

Scientific definitions for alkaline-earth metal

alkaline-earth metal

Any of a group of metallic elements that includes beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. Because the alkaline-earth metals have two electrons in their outer shell, they react easily with other elements and are found in nature only in compounds. See Periodic Table.