metalloid

[ met-l-oid ]

/ ˈmɛt lˌɔɪd /

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noun

a nonmetal that in combination with a metal forms an alloy.

an element that has both metallic and nonmetallic properties, as arsenic, silicon, or boron.

adjective

of or relating to a metalloid.

resembling both a metal and a nonmetal.

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Origin of metalloid

First recorded in 1825–35; metall- + -oid

Words nearby metalloid

metallize, metallo-, metallocene, metallograph, metallography, metalloid, metallo-organic, metallophone, metallotherapy, Metal Lumber, metallurgy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use metalloid in a sentence

The elements that lie between metals and nonmetals are called metalloids or semi-metals.
Explainer: What is a metal?|Katie Grace Carpenter|January 12, 2022|Science News For Students
With properties between those of metals and non-metals, silicon is a “metalloid.”
Scientists Say: Silicon|Maria Temming|January 10, 2022|Science News For Students
The pottery is of a chocolate brown, with a fine metalloid glaze like bronze or tortoiseshell.
The Collector's Handbook to Keramics of the Renaissance and Modern Periods|William Chaffers

British Dictionary definitions for metalloid

metalloid

/ (ˈmɛtəˌlɔɪd) /

noun

a nonmetallic element, such as arsenic or silicon, that has some of the properties of a metal

adjective Also: metalloidal (ˌmɛtəˈlɔɪdəl)

of or being a metalloid

resembling a metal

Collins 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 metalloid

metalloid

[ mĕt′l-oid′ ]

An element that is not a metal but that has some properties of metals. Arsenic, for example, is a metalloid that has the visual appearance of a metal, but is a poor conductor of electricity; metalloids are generally semiconductors. The elements classified as metalloids are boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium, and polonium. Metalloids can be viewed as a diagonal section on the Period Table, separating metals from nonmetals.

A nonmetallic element, such as carbon, that can form alloys with metals.