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

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

"We believe our method will generalize to other materials, such as tin, selenium, tellurium and related alloys with low melting points, and it could be interesting to explore for future flexible electronic circuits."

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

Webb also helped scientists detect the chemical element tellurium in the explosion's aftermath.

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 same is true of tellurium and iodine.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various