europium

American  

[yoo-roh-pee-uhm, yuh-] / jʊˈroʊ pi əm, jə- /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare-earth metallic element whose salts are light pink. Eu; 151.96; 63.

---

europium British  

/ jʊˈrəʊpɪəm /

noun

1. a soft ductile reactive silvery-white element of the lanthanide series of metals: used as the red phosphor in colour television and in lasers. Symbol: Eu; atomic no: 63; atomic wt: 151.965; valency: 2 or 3; relative density: 5.244; melting pt: 822°C; boiling pt: 1527°C

---

europium Scientific  

/ y-rō′pē-əm /

1. A very rare, silvery-white metallic element that is the softest member of the lanthanide series. It is used in making color television tubes and lasers and as a neutron absorber in nuclear research. Atomic number 63; atomic weight 151.96; melting point 826°C; boiling point 1,439°C; specific gravity 5.259; valence 2, 3.

2. See Periodic Table

---

Etymology

Origin of europium

First recorded in 1900–05; Europe + -ium

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

europium

The region holds deposits of many of the very elements China has placed under export controls: yttrium, scandium, erbium, europium, ytterbium, samarium, and lutetium.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2025

A water-soluble, luminescent europium complex enables evaluation of malignancy grade in model glioma tumor cells.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 22, 2024

Yttrium and europium, for instance, light up iPhone displays and allow them to vibrate.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2023

NdPr, europium, terbium and other rare earth metals that were once barely heard of are now commonplace in the manufacture of phone touchscreens, wind turbines and other modern technologies.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2022

So Kahn, Abbamonte, and colleagues at Los Alamos National Laboratory are exploring “narrow bandgap” semiconductors such as a compound of europium, indium, and antimony.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 27, 2022