chromium

[kroh-mee-uh m]

noun

a lustrous, hard, brittle, metallic element used in alloy steels for hardness and corrosion resistance, as in stainless steel, and for plating other metals: chromium salts are used as pigments and mordants. Symbol: Cr; atomic weight: 51.996; atomic number: 24; specific gravity: 7.1.

chrome(def 2).

Origin of chromium

First recorded in 1800–10; chrome + -ium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chromium

Contemporary Examples of chromium

Unlike metals like iron, which rusts and corrodes dramatically, chromium remains stable after oxidation and subsequent burial.
Why Did It Take So Long For Complex Life To Evolve On Earth? Blame Oxygen.
Matthew R. Francis
November 2, 2014
RockMelt is built on open-source code—the Chromium software created by Google and used for its own Chrome browser.
Inside the Secret New Internet Browser
David Kirkpatrick
November 7, 2010

Historical Examples of chromium

Chromium is a very hard metal of about the same density as iron.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry
William McPherson
Like chromium, the metals are difficult to prepare in pure condition.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry
William McPherson
When the crucible has cooled a button of chromium will be found in the bottom.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry
William McPherson
Well, if I don't see him, you let him know about the chromium.
All Day September
Roger Kuykendall
When, therefore, chromium is not detected in the precipitate, the filtrate should also be examined.
Legal Chemistry
A. Naquet

British Dictionary definitions for chromium

chromium

noun

a hard grey metallic element that takes a high polish, occurring principally in chromite: used in steel alloys and electroplating to increase hardness and corrosion-resistance. Symbol: Cr; atomic no: 24; atomic wt: 51.9961; valency: 2, 3, or 6; relative density: 7.18–7.20; melting pt: 1863±20°C; boiling pt: 2672°C

Word Origin for chromium

C19: from New Latin, from French: chrome

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for chromium

metallic element, 1807, with metallic elemental suffix -ium + French chrome (Fourcroy and Haüy), from Greek chroma "color" (see chrome; also see chroma). So called for its colorful compounds. Related: Chromite.

chromium in Medicine

chromium

[krō′mē-əm]

n. Symbol Cr

A lustrous hard metallic element, resistant to tarnish and corrosion and found primarily in chromite. It is used to harden steel alloys, in decorative platings, and as a pigment in glass. Atomic number 24.

chromium in Science

chromium

[krō′mē-əm]

Cr

A hard, shiny, steel-gray metallic element that is rust-resistant and does not tarnish easily. It is used to plate other metals, to harden steel, and to make stainless steel and other alloys. Atomic number 24; atomic weight 51.996; melting point 1,890°C; boiling point 2,482°C; specific gravity 7.18; valence 2, 3, 6. See Periodic Table.