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.
Catalytic converters made with precious metals palladium, platinum and rhodium are especially targeted, according to the Justice Department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
The scientists first compared several metal nanocatalysts, including silver, cobalt, palladium, and platinum.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 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
Analysts’ estimates for platinum’s average price range between $2,100 and $2,450 an ounce, with palladium between $1,600 and $1,725 an ounce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
Its presence at Shiloh, and its prominence in the life of Joshua, support the view that it was the palladium of the Joseph tribes, but the traditions in question conflict with others.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 5 "Arculf" to "Armour, Philip" by Various
The personal stakes couldn’t be more profound, which emerged again at Mastodon’s two-hour performance at the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The Bilt Palladium, $495 annual fee: I was already considering the Bilt card before talking to Kelly because it appears to fit how I currently spend.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Sex Pistols headlining the Palladium in New York City or the Agora in Cleveland wouldn’t have made splashy headlines.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Jack White invited Twin Temple to open his Hollywood Palladium show after Charley Crockett dropped the satanic doo-wop duo over their ‘unholy’ imagery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Pallas Athena had been exceedingly angry, Sinon said, at the theft of the Palladium, and the Greeks in terror had sent to the oracle to ask how they could appease her.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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 Andrew Lang
He remembered seeing her, eighty years ago, on the stage of the Palladia.
From Rich Living by Michael Cathal
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.
