molybdenum
[muh-lib-duh-nuh m]
- a silver-white metallic element, used as an alloy with iron in making hard, high-speed cutting tools. Symbol: Mo; atomic weight: 95.94; atomic number: 42; specific gravity: 10.2.
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Origin of molybdenum
1810–20; < New Latin, alteration of earlier molybdēna < Latin molybdaena < Greek molýbdaina galena, equivalent to mólybd(os) lead + -aina suffix of appurtenance
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for molybdenum
Historical Examples
Production of molybdenum in this country practically began in 1914.
The Economic Aspect of GeologyC. K. Leith
It had up to this time been confounded with molybdenum sulphide.
Of these ingredients much the most important are tungsten and molybdenum.
Inventors at WorkGeorge Iles
From sulphuret of molybdenum, dissolved in nitric acid, and some tin filings and a little muriatic acid added.
European steel men have taken to molybdenum more than Americans.
Creative ChemistryEdwin E. Slosson
molybdenum
- a very hard ductile silvery-white metallic element occurring principally in molybdenite: used mainly in alloys, esp to harden and strengthen steels. Symbol: Mo; atomic no: 42; atomic wt: 95.94; valency: 2–6; relative density: 10.22; melting pt: 2623°C; boiling pt: 4639°C
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Word Origin
C19: from New Latin, from Latin molybdaena galena, from Greek molubdaina, from molubdos lead
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for molybdenum
n.
metallic element, 1816, from molybdena, used generally for lead-like minerals, from Greek molybdos "lead," also "black graphite," related to Latin plumbum "lead" (see plumb (n.)), and like it probably borrowed from a lost Mediterranean language, perhaps Iberian. The element so called because of its resemblance to lead ore.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
molybdenum
(mə-lĭb′də-nəm)- A hard metallic element that is an essential trace element in plant and animal nutrition. Atomic number 42.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
molybdenum
[mə-lĭb′də-nəm]
- 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. See Periodic Table.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.