ytterbium
[ih-tur-bee-uh m]
- a rare metallic element found in gadolinite and forming compounds resembling those of yttrium. Symbol: Yb; atomic weight: 173.04; atomic number: 70; specific gravity: 6.96.
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Compare rare-earth element.
Origin of ytterbium
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ytterbium
Historical Examples
Ytterbium, i-ter′bi-um, n. an element discovered by Marignac in gadolinite.
ytterbium
- a soft malleable silvery element of the lanthanide series of metals that occurs in monazite and is used to improve the mechanical properties of steel. Symbol: Yb; atomic no: 70; atomic wt: 173.04; valency: 2 or 3; relative density: 6.903 (alpha), 6.966 (beta); melting pt: 819°C; boiling pt: 1196°C
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Word Origin
C19: New Latin; see ytterbia
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for ytterbium
metallic rare-earth element, 1879, coined in Modern Latin by Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander (1797-1858) from Ytterby, name of a town in Sweden where mineral containing it was found.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ytterbium
(ĭ-tûr′bē-əm)- A soft bright allotropic rare-earth element, whose radioisotope is used in diagnostic imaging of the brain. Atomic number 70.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
ytterbium
[ĭ-tûr′bē-əm]
- A soft, silvery-white metallic element of the lanthanide series that occurs as seven stable isotopes. It is used as a radiation source for portable x-ray machines. Atomic number 70; atomic weight 173.04; melting point 824°C; boiling point 1,196°C; specific gravity 6.972 or 6.54 (25°C) depending on allotropic form; valence 2, 3. See Periodic Table.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.