cadmium
Americannoun
noun
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A rare, soft, bluish-white metallic element that occurs mainly in zinc, copper, and lead ores. Cadmium is plated onto other metals and alloys to prevent corrosion, and it is used in rechargeable batteries and in nuclear control rods as a neutron absorber. Atomic number 48; atomic weight 112.41; melting point 320.9°C; boiling point 765°C; specific gravity 8.65; valence 2.
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See Periodic Table
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cadmium
1815–25; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin cadm ( īa ) calamine (originally Cadmēa terra < Greek Kadmeía gê Cadmean earth) + -ium -ium
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2015, a battery recycling plant that had been operating in Vernon for decades had to close down and pay $50 million toward cleaning up its hazardous wastes such as lead dust, cadmium and arsenic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
French doctors last year begged the authorities to act, saying women and children were especially being contaminated and blaming "phosphate fertilisers containing too much cadmium".
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
The 10th century Eldgjá eruption left behind a cadmium signal.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2026
"We found cadmium, cobalt, copper, zinc, and nickel," she explained.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
“You want to hear my list? Take a painting class with Bob Ross. Lots of happy little trees and cadmium yellow that you don’t think will work but then...”
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
