rare-earth element

American  

[rair-urth] / ˈrɛərˈɜrθ /

noun

Chemistry.

1. any of a group of closely related metallic elements, comprising the lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium, that are chemically similar by virtue of having the same number of valence electrons.

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rare-earth element Scientific  

/ râr′ûrth′ /

1. See lanthanide

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Etymology

Origin of rare-earth element

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

USA Rare Earth will buy Brazil’s Serra Verde, which is seen as representing more than half the non-China heavy rare-earth element supply.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Australia and Canada, for instance, have significant rare-earth resources that can help support America’s rare-earth element needs.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 21, 2025

Ramaco Resources, a metallurgical coal producer, is developing its Brook Mine, which holds significant heavy rare-earth element deposits.

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

Iridium was the key, rare-earth element that tipped geologists off that an asteroid struck the Earth at the end of the Cretaceous.

From Slate • Feb. 7, 2013

The company’s Mountain Pass mine, discovered in 1949 by uranium prospectors who noticed local radioactivity, dominated rare-earth element production through the 1980s.

From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2010