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beryllium definition

be·ryl·lium (bə ril′ē əm)

noun

a hard, silver-white, metallic chemical element, one of the alkaline-earth metals, found only in combination with others: it forms strong, hard, lightweight alloys with several metals: symbol, Be; at. no., 4

Etymology: < beryllia, beryllium oxide (< L beryllus, beryl + -ia) + -ium: discovered (1798) by L. N. Vauquelin (1763-1829), Fr chemist

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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