tantalum

[ tan-tl-uhm ]

/ ˈtæn tl əm /

Save This Word!

noun Chemistry.

a gray, hard, rare, metallic element occurring in columbite and tantalite and usually associated with niobium: used, because of its resistance to corrosion by most acids, for chemical, dental, and surgical instruments and apparatus. Symbol: Ta; atomic weight: 180.948; atomic number: 73; specific gravity: 16.6.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tantalum

1795–1805; <New Latin; named after Tantalus

Words nearby tantalum

tantalic acid, tantalite, tantalize, tantalizing, tantalous, tantalum, Tantalus, tantalus monkey, tantamount, tantara, T antigen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tantalum in a sentence

The raw materials— tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold—were dubbed “conflict minerals.”
Aaron Rodgers Takes Aim at Congo’s ‘Blood Minerals’ War|John Prendergast|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In China, for example, tungsten, tantalum, tin and gold are mined and ore is imported from other countries.
Helter Smelter No More: Moving to Conflict Free Minerals|Intel|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tantalum helps you send text messages, tin is the solder on every circuit board and gold is the little connecting piece.
Will You Choose a Conflict-Free Microprocessor?|Intel|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2012, Intel began producing microprocessors with conflict-free tantalum, a sign that conflict-free efforts were progressing.
Will You Choose a Conflict-Free Microprocessor?|Intel|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Tantalum is used to protect interconnects inside microprocessors.
Will You Choose a Conflict-Free Microprocessor?|Intel|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More efficient lamps have been devised with filaments of the metals tantalum and tungsten (Fig. 274).
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower
The oxide of tantalum dissolves in the bead, but gives no colour.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
Chemically related to vanadium are the two elements tantalum and columbium or niobium.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various
How are you going to separate out the tantalum and the others you want from the ones that you don't want?
Spacehounds of IPC|Edward Elmer Smith
I brought along a piece of platinum from the power plant, and something that I think is tantalum from Barkovis' description of it.
Spacehounds of IPC|Edward Elmer Smith

British Dictionary definitions for tantalum

tantalum

/ (ˈtæntələm) /

noun

a hard greyish-white metallic element that occurs with niobium in tantalite and columbite: used in electrical capacitors in most circuit boards and in alloys to increase hardness and chemical resistance, esp in surgical instruments. Symbol: Ta; atomic no: 73; atomic wt: 180.9479; valency: 2, 3, 4, or 5; relative density: 16.654; melting pt: 3020°C; boiling pt: 5458±100°C

Word Origin for tantalum

C19: named after Tantalus, with reference to the metal's incapacity to absorb acids

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

Medical definitions for tantalum

tantalum

[ tăn′tə-ləm ]

n. Symbol Ta

A hard heavy metallic element that is exceptionally resistant to chemical attack below 150°C and is used to make electronic components and surgical instruments. Atomic number 73.

Scientific definitions for tantalum

tantalum

[ tăn′tə-ləm ]

A hard, heavy, gray metallic element that is highly resistant to corrosion at low temperatures. It is used to make light-bulb filaments, surgical instruments, and glass for camera lenses. Atomic number 73; atomic weight 180.948; melting point 3,017°C; boiling point 5,458°C; specific gravity 16.6; valence 2, 3, 4, 5. See Periodic Table.