periodic table

[ peer-ee-od-ik, peer- ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a table illustrating the periodic system, in which the chemical elements, formerly arranged in the order of their atomic weights and now according to their atomic numbers, are shown in related groups.

periodic table

/ ˌpɪərɪˈɒdɪk /

noun

1. a table of the elements, arranged in order of increasing atomic number, based on the periodic law. Elements having similar chemical properties and electronic structures appear in vertical columns (groups)

Periodic Table

1. A table in which the chemical elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number. Elements with similar properties are arranged in the same column (called a group), and elements with the same number of electron shells are arranged in the same row (called a period).

Word History and Origins

Origin of periodic table¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Enter the “hydrogen rainbow,” a color-coded system for describing the many ways to convert the lightest element on the periodic table into energy.

From Popular-Science

Rare earths, also known as rare-earth metals, are made up of the 17 metallic elements on the periodic table essential to many high-tech devices, including smartphones, televisions, computers and electric vehicles.

From Ozy

By the time the act was passed, scientists knew coal ash contained trace metals such as arsenic, chromium, lead and other chemicals recognizable from the periodic table, all of which could slowly infiltrate groundwater.

From ProPublica

Sams then rattled off other coal-ash contaminants that the tests had found, words most residents had only ever heard while studying the periodic table during chemistry class.

From ProPublica

In this state, August Kekule, saw the structure of benzene, Mary Shelley found the idea for her iconic novel Frankenstein, and Dmitri Mendeleev discovered the periodic table of the chemical elements.

From Nautilus

And when you review the periodic table, take special note of Tungsten, or Wolfram.

From The Daily Beast

All of these had their atomic weights found, and fell into that new column in the periodic table.

From Project Gutenberg

Carbon stands at the head of a family of elements in the fourth group in the periodic table.

From Project Gutenberg

As would be expected from its place in the periodic table, silicon resembles carbon in many respects.

From Project Gutenberg

Following iron, nickel, and cobalt in the eighth column of the periodic table are two groups of three elements each.

From Project Gutenberg

The elements iron, cobalt, and nickel form a group in the eighth column of the periodic table.

From Project Gutenberg