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
Researchers from the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology collected pollen using pollen traps and measured levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, and tin in both pollen and adult bees.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
Producing rare earths requires heavy chemicals and can produce toxic waste, with cases including illegal operations polluting Mekong tributaries in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia with arsenic and cadmium.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
The 10th century Eldgjá eruption left behind a cadmium signal.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2026
Stuck through the pile at various points were long wooden poles wrapped with a bluish-white metal called cadmium.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
