tellurium

American  

[te-loor-ee-uhm] / tɛˈlʊər i əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare, lustrous, brittle, crystalline, silver-white element resembling sulfur in its properties, and usually occurring in nature combined with gold, silver, or other metals of high atomic weight: used in the manufacture of alloys and as a coloring agent in glass and ceramics. Te; 127.60; 52; 6.24.

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tellurium British  

/ tɛˈlʊərɪəm /

noun

1. a brittle silvery-white nonmetallic element occurring both uncombined and in combination with metals: used in alloys of lead and copper and as a semiconductor. Symbol: Te; atomic no: 52; atomic wt: 127.60; valency: 2, 4, or 6; relative density: 6.24; melting pt: 449.57±0.3°C; boiling pt: 988°C

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tellurium Scientific  

/ tĕ-lr′ē-əm /

1. A metalloid element that occurs as either a brittle, shiny, silvery-white crystal or a gray or brown powder. Small amounts of tellurium are used to improve the alloys of various metals. Atomic number 52; atomic weight 127.60; melting point 449.5°C; boiling point 989.8°C; specific gravity 6.24; valence 2, 4, 6.

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of tellurium

< New Latin (1798), equivalent to Latin tellūr- (stem of tellūs ) earth + -ium

Example Sentences

The team focused on ultra thin films made from two elements, tellurium and selenium.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

These include tungsten, which is difficult to source and a crucial material for the aerospace industry, tellurium, widely used for solar panels, and molybdenum, which is used to strengthen steel alloys.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2025

Other elements near tellurium on the periodic table -- like iodine, which is needed for much of life on Earth -- are also likely to be present among the kilonova's ejected material.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023

Another close call is tellurium, which is used in industrial solar farms and where there may be only slightly more estimated resources than what would be required in a big green push.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2023

The presence of minute quantities of cadmium, lead, bismuth, antimony, arsenic, tin, tellurium and zinc renders gold brittle, 1⁄2000th part of one of the three metals first named being sufficient to produce that quality.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2 "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George" by Various