palladium

[ puh-ley-dee-uhm ]

/ pəˈleɪ di əm /

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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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of palladium

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

Words nearby palladium

Palladian window, palladic, palladinize, Palladio, Palladio, Andrea, palladium, palladous, Pallas, Pallas Athena, pallbearer, pallescent

Other definitions for palladium (2 of 2)

Palladium

[ puh-ley-dee-uhm ]

/ pəˈleɪ di əm /

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. 2023

How to use palladium in a sentence

It also boasts 40% of the world’s uranium enrichment capacity, 20% of class 1 nickel, 30% of global palladium, and so on.
Russia Is Still Winning the Energy War|Suriya Jayanti|April 29, 2022|Time
The former is a significant producer of many key commodities—including nickel, palladium, and aluminum—required by auto manufacturers.
Putin’s War in Ukraine Will Make Your Next Car Even More Expensive|Simon Constable|March 10, 2022|Time
He recounts good times on birthdays at the Palladium and parties on New Year’s Eve, his favorite suits and hats.
Model, Lover, Friend, Muse—A Photographic Diary of One Man's Struggle with Mental Illness Across Two Decades|Paul Moakley|February 14, 2022|Time
The researchers behind it had previously tested it on old, chopped-up circuit boards to strip them of precious metals like palladium and gold and heavy metals like chromium and mercury before safely disposing them in agricultural soil.
Inside the high-powered process that could recycle rare earth metals|Rahul Rao|February 11, 2022|Popular-Science

The parts — sought after for the platinum, rhodium, palladium and other metals inside — can be sold for $150 to $200 per piece at junk yards, police say.
Catalytic converter thefts have surged during the pandemic. Police are fighting back.|Donovan Thomas|October 8, 2021|Washington Post
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
The last point is brought within the scope of our inquiry because the Palladium is an androgyne order.
Devil-Worship in France|Arthur Edward Waite
You have restored in their favour the Act of Navigation, that palladium of British commerce.
The Loyalists of America and Their Times, Vol. 1 of 2|Egerton Ryerson
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
The keys in particular probably indicate that the recompense at one time took the shape of a palladium.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
An ancient oracle declared that, so long as the Palladium remained within the walls, Troy could not be taken.
The Mysteries of All Nations|James Grant

British Dictionary definitions for palladium (1 of 3)

palladium¹

/ (pəˈleɪdɪəm) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for palladium (2 of 3)

palladium²

/ (pəˈleɪdɪəm) /

noun

something believed to ensure protection; safeguard

Word Origin for palladium

C17: after the Palladium

British Dictionary definitions for palladium (3 of 3)

Palladium

/ (pəˈleɪdɪəm) /

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

Scientific definitions for palladium

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.