molybdenum
Americannoun
noun
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A hard, silvery-white metallic element that resists corrosion and retains its strength at high temperatures. It is used to harden and toughen steel and to make high-temperature wiring. Molybdenum is an essential trace element in plant metabolism. Atomic number 42; atomic weight 95.96; melting point 2,623°C; boiling point 4,639°C; specific gravity 10.22 (at 20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
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See Periodic Table
Etymology
Origin of molybdenum
First recorded in 1790–1800; from New Latin molybdēnum, alteration of earlier molybdēna “lead ore,” from Latin molybdaena, from Greek molýbdaina “galena,” equivalent to mólybd(os) “lead” + -aina a suffix indicating relationship or origin
Vocabulary lists containing molybdenum
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The rhenium component helped hydrogen attach to and release from the catalyst surface, while the molybdenum sped up the splitting of water in the alkaline electrolyte.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
The miner recorded molybdenum sales of 24 million pounds, higher than first-quarter 2025 sales of 20 million pounds and above the 22 million pounds Freeport had forecast at the start of the year.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
The key difference in this new approach is the use of molybdenum diselenide, which has a much higher refractive index.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2026
Other companies with recently issued exploitation permits include an anorthosite mining project backed by investors from Denmark and Luxembourg, and a molybdenum project backed by the European Union and run by Canadian company Greenland Resources.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
A poor pharmacist with little in the way of advanced apparatus, he discovered eight elements–chlorine, fluorine, manganese, barium, molybdenum, tungsten, nitrogen, and oxygen–and got credit for none of them.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
