palladium

[puh-ley-dee-uh m]

noun Chemistry.

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.

Origin of palladium

special use of Palladium; named (1803) after the asteroid Pallas, then newly discovered; see -ium

Palladium

[puh-ley-dee-uh m]

noun, plural Pal·la·di·a [puh-ley-dee-uh] /pəˈleɪ di ə/.

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.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for palladium

Contemporary Examples of palladium

Kurt and Courtney met the second time in May 1991 during an L7 concert at the Palladium in Los Angeles.
The Moment Kurt Cobain Met Courtney Love
Charles R. Cross
April 5, 2014
He stormed legendary spots like Palladium and Tunnel, and turned them into strobe-lit dens of iniquity.
The Party Monster Lives For the Applause: Michael Alig’s Second Act
Caitlin Dickson
February 28, 2014

Historical Examples of palladium

Should she do so, it would be like the Palladium ceasing to stand and Troy falling.
Elsie Marley, Honey
Joslyn Gray
A little while ago, at the Palladium, there was a Moore and Burgess revival.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, January 28, 1914
Various
An English judge and an English jury were to him the Palladium of discerning truth.
Orley Farm
Anthony Trollope
And the Scotch Rite is, by the hypothesis, apart from the Palladium.
Devil-Worship in France
Arthur Edward Waite
“Ahn” became the palladium of English philological education.
Three Men on the Bummel
Jerome K. Jerome

British Dictionary definitions for palladium

palladium

noun

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

Word Origin for palladium

C19: named after the asteroid Pallas, at the time (1803) a recent discovery

palladium

noun

something believed to ensure protection; safeguard

Word Origin for palladium

C17: after the Palladium

Palladium

noun

a statue of Pallas Athena, esp the one upon which the safety of Troy depended

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.

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).

palladium in Medicine

palladium

[pə-lā′dē-əm]

n. Symbol Pd

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.

palladium in Science

palladium

[pə-lā′dē-əm]

Pd

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.