cerium
Americannoun
noun
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A shiny, gray metallic element of the lanthanide series. It is ductile and malleable and is used in electronic components, alloys, and lighter flints. It is also used in glass polishing, as a catalyst in self-cleaning ovens, and in various nuclear applications. Atomic number 58; atomic weight 140.12; melting point 795°C; boiling point 3,468°C; specific gravity 6.67 to 8.23; valence 3, 4.
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See Periodic Table
Etymology
Origin of cerium
Example Sentences
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Valor has designed reusable ligands for 10 elements, including gold, copper, platinum, nickel and a number of otherwise difficult-to-isolate rare earths, including cerium, dysprosium and yttrium.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
Rare earth elements are mentioned in 17 licences, with more permits referencing specific rare earths such as cerium or terbium.
From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026
"The objective of the liquid separation unit will be to purify cerium on one side, lanthanum on the other side," explains production manager Florian Gouneau as we walk up a flight of metal stairs.
From BBC • Aug. 6, 2025
This alignment would otherwise require a powerful magnetic field to activate, since cerium fluoride is naturally paramagnetic with randomly oriented spins even at zero temperature.
From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2023
Gadolinite, gad′ō-lin-īt, n. a silicate of the yttrium and cerium metals, containing also beryllium and iron.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
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.
