cobalt Hear it!

cobalt definition

co·balt (kō′bôlt′)

noun

a hard, lustrous, steel-gray, ductile, metallic chemical element, found in various ores: it is used in the preparation of magnetic, wear-resistant, and high-strength alloys: its compounds are used in the production of inks, paints, and varnishes: symbol, Co; at. no., 27: a radioactive isotope (cobalt-60) is used in the treatment of cancer, in research, etc.

Etymology: Ger kobalt: so named (c. 1730) by Georg Brandt (1694-1768), Swed chemist < Ger kobold, lit., goblin; term used for the ore by miners, who regarded it as worthless and as injurious because of its arsenic content

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

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.