palladium
[puh-ley-dee-uh m]
- a rare metallic element of the platinum group, silver-white, ductile and malleable, harder and fusing more readily than platinum: used chiefly as a catalyst and in dental and other alloys. Symbol: Pd; atomic weight: 106.4; atomic number: 46; specific gravity: 12 at 20°C.
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Origin of palladium
Palladium
[puh-ley-dee-uh m]
- Also Pal·la·di·on [puh-ley-dee-on] /pəˈleɪ diˌɒn/. 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.
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Origin of Palladium
< Latin Palladium < Greek Palládion, noun use of neuter of Palládios of Pallas, equivalent to Pallad- (stem of Pallás) Pallas + -ios adj. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for palladium
Contemporary Examples
Kurt and Courtney met the second time in May 1991 during an L7 concert at the Palladium in Los Angeles.
He stormed legendary spots like Palladium and Tunnel, and turned them into strobe-lit dens of iniquity.
Historical Examples
Should she do so, it would be like the Palladium ceasing to stand and Troy falling.
Elsie Marley, HoneyJoslyn Gray
A little while ago, at the Palladium, there was a Moore and Burgess revival.
An English judge and an English jury were to him the Palladium of discerning truth.
Orley FarmAnthony Trollope
And the Scotch Rite is, by the hypothesis, apart from the Palladium.
Devil-Worship in FranceArthur Edward Waite
“Ahn” became the palladium of English philological education.
Three Men on the BummelJerome K. Jerome
palladium1
- a ductile malleable silvery-white element of the platinum metal group occurring principally in nickel-bearing ores: used as a hydrogenation catalyst and, alloyed with gold, in jewellery. Symbol: Pd; atomic no: 46; atomic wt: 106.42; valency: 2, 3, or 4; relative density: 1202; melting pt: 1555°C; boiling pt: 2964°C
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Word Origin
C19: named after the asteroid Pallas, at the time (1803) a recent discovery
palladium2
- something believed to ensure protection; safeguard
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Word Origin
C17: after the Palladium
Palladium
- a statue of Pallas Athena, esp the one upon which the safety of Troy depended
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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
Word Origin and History for palladium
n.1
"safeguard," c.1600, originally (late 14c.) "sacred image of Pallas Athene," from Latin palladium, from Greek Palladion, noun use of neuter of Palladios "of Pallas." It stood in the citadel of Troy and the safety of the city was believed to depend on it.
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n.2
metallic element, coined 1803 by discoverer William Hyde Wollaston (1766-1828), from Pallas, name of an asteroid discovered the previous year (by German astronomer Olbers) and named for the goddess (see Pallas).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
palladium
(pə-lā′dē-əm)- A soft ductile metallic element occurring naturally with platinum, especially in gold, nickel, and copper ores, and used as a catalyst in hydrogenation and in dentistry. Atomic number 46.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
palladium
[pə-lā′dē-əm]
- 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.