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
coaxial, coaxial cable, cob, cobaea, cobalamin, cobalt, cobalt 60, cobaltammine, cobalt bloom, cobalt blue, cobalt bomb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
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.