helium
an inert, gaseous element present in the sun's atmosphere and in natural gas, and also occurring as a radioactive decomposition product, used as a substitute for flammable gases in dirigible balloons. Symbol: He; atomic weight: 4.0026; atomic number: 2; density: 0.1785 grams/liter at 0°C and 760 millimeters pressure.
Origin of helium
1Words Nearby helium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use helium in a sentence
The team behind some of the earlier measurements is now back with a new one, this one tracking the behavior of a muon orbiting a helium nucleus.
Unstable helium adds a limit on the ongoing saga of the proton’s size | John Timmer | January 27, 2021 | Ars TechnicaThey could change their altitude to catch different air currents by either pumping air in, or out, of a smaller balloon that was inside the larger helium vessel.
These stars were fashioned only from hydrogen and helium, the cosmos’s rawest materials.
The typical Macy’s parade balloon may use around 12,000 cubic feet of helium, while global consumption is on the order of 6 billion cubic feet per year.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has one star that always rises to the top | Erik Olsen | November 25, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe helium absorbed heat from the LEDs as it wound through the channel and expanded until it was finally released through a small nozzle.
A solar-powered rocket might be our ticket to interstellar space | WIRED | November 21, 2020 | Ars Technica
She added in the high-pitched, over-enunciated voice, like she was alternating between sucking on helium and a bong.
SNL’s Kim Kardashian Konundrum: Why Nasim Pedrad’s Exit Hurts So Much | Jason Lynch | September 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPreviously a big, fat tank of liquid helium was needed for the task.
Up to a Point: A 'Space Corvette' in Every Garage | P. J. O’Rourke | September 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo of course, Jimmy Fallon took the opportunity to ruin it by forcing Freeman to inhale helium and pitch up his voice.
Viral Video of the Day: Morgan Freeman Sucks Helium | Alex Chancey | July 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEspecially when the one you love has a voice like nails on a helium-soaked chalkboard.
Chucky, the Possessed Doll, on His Favorite Kills—and Katherine Heigl | Chucky | October 31, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAfter he inhaled sulfur hexafluoride, a compound that acts like helium, his voice got very deep.
The Anger Over ‘Tranny,’ From Neil Patrick Harris to RuPaul to Dan Savage | Tricia Romano | January 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTWhat bug in the new helium process might account for this delay?
Bread Overhead | Fritz Reuter LeiberThere was only one thing to do, there being only one other gas comparable in lightness to helium.
Bread Overhead | Fritz Reuter LeiberAn atom of lithium-7 plus an atom of hydrogen-1 yields two atoms of helium-4 and plenty of energy.
Unwise Child | Gordon Randall GarrettHe turned the dial to emergency maximum and gulped precious liters of oxygen-helium mixture.
Tight Squeeze | Dean Charles IngWhen they opened the sample chamber, they got a blast of high-pressure helium right in the face.
The Bramble Bush | Gordon Randall Garrett
British Dictionary definitions for helium
/ (ˈhiːlɪəm) /
a very light nonflammable colourless odourless element that is an inert gas, occurring in certain natural gases: used in balloons and in cryogenic research. Symbol: He; atomic no: 2; atomic wt: 4.002602; density: 0.1785 kg/m³; at normal pressures it is liquid down to absolute zero; melting pt: below –272.2°C; boiling pt: –268.90°C: See also alpha particle
Origin of helium
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for helium
[ hē′lē-əm ]
A very lightweight, colorless, odorless element in the noble gas group. Helium occurs in natural gas, in radioactive ores, and in small amounts in the atmosphere. It has the lowest boiling point of any substance and is the second most abundant element in the universe. Helium is used to provide lift for balloons and blimps and to create artificial air that will not react chemically. Atomic number 2; atomic weight 4.0026; boiling point -268.9°C; density at 0°C 0.1785 gram per liter. See Periodic Table.
word history
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for helium
Notes for helium
Notes for helium
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse