Also Palladion a statue of Athena, especially one on the citadel of Troy on which the safety of the city was supposed to depend.
(usually lowercase) anything believed to provide protection or safety; safeguard.
A malleable, ductile, grayish-white metallic element that occurs naturally with platinum. It is used as a catalyst in hydrogenation and in alloys for making electrical contacts and jewelry. Atomic number 46; atomic weight 106.4; melting point 1,552°C; boiling point 3,140°C; specific gravity 12.02 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4.
See Periodic Table
Special use of Palladium; named (1803) after the asteroid Pallas, then newly discovered; see -ium
< Latin Palladium < Greek Palládion, noun use of neuter of Palládios of Pallas, equivalent to Pallad- (stem of Pallás ) Pallas + -ios adj. suffix
Palladium is an extremely valuable precious metal. Closely related to platinum, palladium is also silvery-white and shiny. When William Hyde Wollaston discovered palladium in 1803, he named it after one of the largest known asteroids, Pallas. Earlier, the word had been used to mean "a source of protection," inspired by the Greek goddess Athena, who was commonly referred to as Pallas. The precious metal shares chemical properties with many others, and it's used to clean the exhaust from cars, as well as in jewelry and electronics.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For example, gold palladium catalysts are used to produce vinyl acetate, an essential ingredient in many plastics and other products.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
To test the idea, the researchers created a crystal composed of cerium, palladium, and silicon.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
Catalytic converters need rare elements like palladium and platinum, precious metals more at home in a jewelry box than in a car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
Dead batteries yield lithium, cobalt and nickel; LED screens contain germanium; circuit boards hold platinum and palladium; hard disks store rare earths -- e‑waste has long been described as a "gold mine" for critical minerals.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
This element, however, when combined with palladium, is in a peculiarly active state, which sustains somewhat the same relation to the familiar gas that ozone bears to ordinary oxygen.
From Scientific Culture, and Other Essays Second Edition; with Additions by Cooke, Josiah Parsons
“Twin Temple, Would you like to open my show in L.A. on September 29th at the Hollywood Palladium? Let me know,” White posted on Friday, adding, “Get in front of me Satan!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
This Palladium set is your biggest hometown show in your two decades as a band.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
Police say the incident, which took place on a Soho street that is home to the London Palladium theatre, is not being treated as terrorism-related.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
Allen, who also begins her three-night run of gigs at the London Palladium theatre on Friday, said: "I'm so pleased to make this special painting available for everyone to see."
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
They had in fact seen a matinee pantomime at the London Palladium during which Lola had spilled a strawberry drink down her frock, and Liberty’s was right across the street.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
The most appealing part of the package is a new documentary, R.E.M. by MTV, culled from the material and directed by Alex Young, which will also air on Palladia and VH1 Classic.
From BusinessWeek ● Nov. 26, 2014
TV rights to air "This Is It" on its MTV and BET family of networks -- including VH1 and Palladia, as well as MTV and BET -- for six years.
From Reuters ● Jun. 21, 2010
Palladia was a master at building churches, convents and palaces.
From Time Magazine Archive
There also exists a set of small Mycenaean relics called Palladia, found at Mycenae, Spata and in the earliest strata of the Acropolis at Athens.
From Homer and His Age by Lang, Andrew
It contained a Rajputana parrakeet, not much larger than a robin, but possessor of a soul as fierce as that of Palladia, minus, however, the smoothing influence of chivalry.
From Parrot & Co. by MacGrath, Harold
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.
