cobalt

American  

[koh-bawlt] / ˈkoʊ bɔlt /

noun

1. a silver-white metallic element with a faint pinkish tinge, occurring in compounds whose silicates afford important blue coloring substances for ceramics. Co; 58.933; 27; 8.9 at 20°C.

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cobalt British  

/ ˈkəʊbɔːlt /

noun

1. 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

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cobalt Scientific  

/ kō′bôlt′ /

1. 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.

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of cobalt

1675–85; < German Kobalt, variant of Kobold kobold

Compare meaning

How does cobalt compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cobalt vs. royal blue

Example Sentences

China currently dominates the global supply of lithium and cobalt, both of which are needed in batteries.

From Barron's

China currently dominates the global supply of lithium and cobalt, both of which are needed in batteries.

From Barron's

Caught in the middle is American mining company KoBold Metals, which uses AI to scour for copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sulphur is used to make sulphuric acid, which is used for processing copper, cobalt and nickel and also for the extraction of lithium.

From BBC

Other companies invested tens of billions of dollars in building plants in the U.S. to make lithium-ion batteries with expensive nickel and cobalt inside.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blue-green