vanadium

[ vuh-ney-dee-uhm ]

nounChemistry.
  1. a rare element occurring in certain minerals and obtained as a light-gray powder with a silvery luster or as a ductile metal: used as an ingredient of steel to toughen it and increase its shock resistance. Symbol: V; atomic weight: 50.942; atomic number: 23; specific gravity: 5.96.

Origin of vanadium

1
<New Latin (1830) <Icelandic Vanad(ís) epithet of Freya (Vana, genitive of VanirVanir + dís goddess) + New Latin -ium-ium

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British Dictionary definitions for vanadium

vanadium

/ (vəˈneɪdɪəm) /


noun
  1. a toxic silvery-white metallic element occurring chiefly in carnotite and vanadinite and used in steel alloys, high-speed tools, and as a catalyst. Symbol: V; atomic no: 23; atomic wt: 50.9415; valency: 2–5; relative density: 6.11; melting pt: 1910±10°C; boiling pt: 3409°C

Origin of vanadium

1
C19: New Latin, from Old Norse Vanadis, epithet of the goddess Freya + -ium

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

Scientific definitions for vanadium

vanadium

[ və-nādē-əm ]


V
  1. A soft, bright-white metallic element that occurs naturally in several minerals. It has good structural strength and is used especially to make strong varieties of steel. Atomic number 23; atomic weight 50.942; melting point 1,890°C; boiling point 3,000°C; specific gravity 6.11; valence 2, 3, 4, 5. See Periodic Table.

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