cobalt
[ koh-bawlt ]
/ ˈkoʊ bɔlt /
noun
a silver-white metallic element with a faint pinkish tinge, occurring in compounds whose silicates afford important blue coloring substances for ceramics. Symbol: Co; atomic weight: 58.933; atomic number: 27; specific gravity: 8.9 at 20°C.
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Origin of cobalt
Words nearby cobalt
cob coal, cob money, cob pie, cobaea, cobalamin, cobalt, cobalt 60, cobalt bloom, cobalt blue, cobalt bomb, cobalt green
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for cobalt
British Dictionary definitions for cobalt
cobalt
/ (ˈkəʊbɔːlt) /
noun
a brittle hard silvery-white element that is a ferromagnetic metal: occurs principally in cobaltite and smaltite and is widely used in alloys. The radioisotope cobalt-60, with a half-life of 5.3 years, is used in radiotherapy and as a tracer. Symbol: Co; atomic no: 27; atomic wt: 58.93320; valency: 2 or 3; relative density: 8.9; melting pt: 1495°C; boiling pt: 2928°C
Word Origin for cobalt
C17: German Kobalt, from Middle High German kobolt goblin; from the miners' belief that malicious goblins placed it in the silver ore
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Medical definitions for cobalt
cobalt
[ kō′bôlt′ ]
n. Symbol Co
A metallic element, used chiefly for magnetic and high-temperature alloys and in the form of its salts for blue glass and ceramic pigments. Atomic number 27.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for cobalt
cobalt
[ kō′bôlt′ ]
Co
A silvery-white, hard, brittle metallic element that occurs widely in metal ores. It is used to make magnetic alloys, heat-resistant alloys, and blue pigment for ceramics and glass. Atomic number 27; atomic weight 58.9332; melting point 1,495°C; boiling point 2,900°C; specific gravity 8.9; valence 2, 3. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.