bismuth

[ biz-muh th ]

/ ˈbɪz məθ /

noun Chemistry.

a brittle, grayish-white, red-tinged, metallic element used in the manufacture of fusible alloys and in medicine. Symbol: Bi; atomic weight: 208.980; atomic number: 83.

Words nearby bismuth

bismarck archipelago, bismarck herring, bismarck, otto von, bismarckian, bismillah, bismuth, bismuth chromate, bismuth line, bismuth oxychloride, bismuthic, bismuthine

Origin of bismuth

1660–70; earlier bismutum < New Latin bisemūtum, Latinized form of German Wissmuth (now Wismut) < ?

OTHER WORDS FROM bismuth

bis·muth·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for bismuth

bismuth

/ (ˈbɪzməθ) /

noun

a brittle pinkish-white crystalline metallic element having low thermal and electrical conductivity, which expands on cooling. It is widely used in alloys, esp low-melting alloys in fire safety devices; its compounds are used in medicines. Symbol: Bi; atomic no: 83; atomic wt: 208.98037; valency: 3 or 5; relative density: 9.747; melting pt: 271.4°C; boiling pt: 1564±5°C

Derived forms of bismuth

bismuthal (ˈbɪzməθəl), adjective

Word Origin for bismuth

C17: from New Latin bisemūtum, from German Wismut, of unknown origin

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

Medical definitions for bismuth

bismuth

[ bĭz′məth ]

n. Symbol Bi

A metallic element used in various low-melting alloys and having many medical applications, including as an x-ray contrast medium and in compounds that are used as astringents, antiseptics, treatments of gastrointestinal disturbances, and suppressants of lupus erythematosus. Atomic number 83.

Scientific definitions for bismuth

bismuth

[ bĭz′məth ]

Bi

A brittle, pinkish-white, crystalline metallic element that occurs in nature as a free metal and in various ores. Bismuth is the most strongly diamagnetic element and has the highest atomic number of all stable elements. It is used to make low-melting alloys for fire-safety devices. Atomic number 83; atomic weight 208.98; melting point 271.3°C; boiling point 1,560°C; specific gravity 9.747; valence 3, 5. See Periodic Table.