molybdenum

[ muh-lib-duh-nuhm ]

/ məˈlɪb də nəm /

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noun Chemistry.

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

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

Words nearby molybdenum

molybdate, molybdate orange, molybdenite, molybdenosis, molybdenous, molybdenum, molybdenum disulfide, molybdenum trioxide, molybdic, molybdous, mom

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use molybdenum in a sentence

Locked underground is billions of dollars’ worth of gold, copper and molybdenum, an important alloy in many types of steel.
EPA to protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay, blocking major gold mine|Dino Grandoni, Josh Partlow|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
Iron and copper ores frequently contain molybdenum, sometimes in quantity; consequently it is met with in slags and pig-iron.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
All molybdenum compounds are converted into the trioxide by boiling with nitric acid.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
Vanadium is white, and when its surface is polished, it resembles silver or molybdenum more than any other metal.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

We noted a similar close resemblance between the positive strontium and the negative molybdenum.
Occult Chemistry|Annie Besant and Charles W. Leadbeater
It consumes a lot in its own steel industry, even using manganese as a substitute for scarcer alloys like nickel and molybdenum.
East-West Trade Trends|Harold E. Stassen

British Dictionary definitions for molybdenum

molybdenum

/ (mɒˈlɪbdɪnəm) /

noun

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

Word Origin for molybdenum

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for molybdenum

molybdenum

[ mə-lĭb′də-nəm ]

n. Symbol Mo

A hard metallic element that is an essential trace element in plant and animal nutrition. Atomic number 42.

Scientific definitions for molybdenum

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.