bismuth

American  

[biz-muhth] / ˈbɪz məθ /

noun

Chemistry.

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

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bismuth British  

/ ˈbɪzməθəl, ˈbɪzməθ /

noun

1. 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

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bismuth Scientific  

/ bĭz′məth /

1. 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.

2. See Periodic Table

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Other Word Forms

• bismuthal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of bismuth

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

Example Sentences

The 8th century Katla eruption created a 12-year spike in metals like bismuth and thallium in Greenland ice cores.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2026

This patent-pending technology purifies the isotope by removing it from the bismuth target and then loads it onto a shipping column for incorporation into targeted alpha therapy drugs.

From Science Daily • Nov. 11, 2025

"We then made a kind of quesadilla or panini where the bismuth is the cheesy filling and the tortillas are the atomically flat surfaces," said Wu.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

A: Bismuth subsalicylate, the active ingredient in Pepto Bismol, can react with the sulfur in your mouth to form bismuth sulfide.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2024

Magistē′rialness; Magistē′rium, an authoritative statement; Mag′istery, a term in alchemy for various preparations, esp. a precipitate of bismuth: any sovereign remedy: a mandate.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various