Showing results for vanadium. Search instead for vanadiums.

vanadium

American

[vuh-nay-dee-uhm] / vəˈneɪ di əm /

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. V; 50.942; 23; 5.96.

vanadium British

/ 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

"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

vanadium Scientific

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of vanadium

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

vanadium

There is more vanadium in the Earth's crust than lithium, but it is less accessible and more volatile in economic terms.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

The team successfully applied this method to six types of MXenes, including two forms of titanium carbide, as well as niobium carbide, vanadium carbide, tantalum carbide, and titanium carbonitride.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 31, 2026

“The markets are small for those products,” Hopkins said, adding testing continues on the economics of extracting smelter-grade alumina, a key component of the aluminum supply chain, along with scandium and vanadium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

The EPA does not currently classify vanadium as a carcinogen, but other health groups have said it could cause lung cancer based on evidence from animal trials.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025

The United States supplies less than one-half of its normal needs of vanadium, from southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by C. K. (Charles Kenneth) Leith

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023