vanadium

[ vuh-ney-dee-uhm ]

/ vəˈneɪ di əm /

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noun Chemistry.

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.

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Origin of vanadium

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

Words nearby vanadium

van, vanadate, vanadic, vanadic acid, vanadinite, vanadium, vanadium pentoxide, vanadium steel, vanadous, Van Allen, Van Allen belt

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

How to use vanadium in a sentence

A good deal of Vanadium alloy is used, and this is made in America.
A Journey Through France in War Time|Joseph G. Butler, Jr.
Vanadium steel is used throughout the construction of the car.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
Vanadium as an alloy increases the elastic limit, making the steel stronger, tougher and harder.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting|Harold P. Manly
Nickel steel rods may be used for parts requiring great strength, but vanadium alloys are very difficult to handle.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting|Harold P. Manly

Vanadium is detected by the red colouration produced by passing sulphuretted hydrogen into ammoniacal solutions for some time.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer

British Dictionary definitions for vanadium

vanadium

/ (vəˈneɪdɪəm) /

noun

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

Word Origin for vanadium

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

Medical definitions for vanadium

vanadium

[ və-nā′dē-əm ]

n. Symbol V

A soft ductile metallic element, used in rust-resistant high-speed tools, as a carbon stabilizer in some steels, and as a catalyst. Atomic number 23.

Scientific definitions for vanadium

vanadium

[ və-nā′dē-əm ]

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.