rare earth

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. the oxide of any of the rare-earth elements contained in various minerals.

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rare earth British  

noun

1. any oxide of a lanthanide

2. Also called: rare-earth element.  another name for lanthanide

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Etymology

Origin of rare earth

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rare earth

Once the rare earth concentrate has been extracted from the wastewater, the individual elements must then be separated out and processed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Their findings, published in Communications Earth & Environment, could also help researchers locate geothermal reservoirs, lithium deposits, and rare earth elements connected to deep magmatic activity.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics believes Trump is missing a chance to address bigger problems like China's rare earth export curbs.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Sweden has known rare earth mineral deposits in Kiruna, Bergslagen and Norra Kärr outside Gränna.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

The rare earth metals are found in the minerals gadolinite, samarskite, fergusonite, euxenite and cerite.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various