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
Depending on the light, the silvery palladium leaf surface of Holzer’s wall piece skews slightly red or blue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Platinum and palladium, less-traded precious metals, have lost 17% and 15% this month, respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 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 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
“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
At last the Greeks learned that there was a most sacred image of Pallas Athena in the city, called the Palladium, and that as long as the Trojans had it Troy could not be taken.
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
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 Harold MacGrath
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
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.
