YTTRIUM

yttrium, atomic number

(noun) a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

yttrium (usually uncountable, plural yttriums)

A silvery metallic chemical element (symbol Y) with an atomic number of 39, mainly found in combination with lanthanide elements in rare-earth minerals.

Source: Wiktionary


Yt"tri*um, n. Etym: [NL., from Ytterby, in Sweden. See Erbium.] (Chem.)

Definition: A rare metallic element of the boron-aluminium group, found in gadolinite and other rare minerals, and extracted as a dark gray powder. Symbol Y. Atomic weight, 89. [Written also ittrium.]

Note: Associated with yttrium are certain rare elements, as erbium, ytterbium, samarium, etc., which are separated in a pure state with great difficulty. They are studied by means of their spark or phosphorescent spectra. Yttrium is now regarded as probably not a simple element, but as a mixture of several substances.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

16 March 2025

SUSPENDED

(adjective) (of undissolved particles in a fluid) supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy and without apparent attachment; “suspended matter such as silt or mud...”; “dust particles suspended in the air”; “droplets in suspension in a gas”


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