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  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of bismuth

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bismuth

After Mr. Trump returned to office, China imposed further export controls on tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum, indium and seven medium and heavy rare earths, including dysprosium and terbium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

On Feb. 4, 2025, Beijing issued Announcement No. 10, putting tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium-related items under export licensing.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 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

"But when we cooled down the device in our lab, we were amazed to observe quantum oscillations, which have not been previously seen in thin bismuth films."

From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024

The current strength—other things being the same—depends on the metals used; for example, bismuth and antimony are more effective than other metals.

From Lord Kelvin An account of his scientific life and work by Andrew Gray

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