krypton Hear it!

krypton definition

kryp·ton (krip′tän′)

noun

a rare, gaseous chemical element, one of the noble gases, present in very small quantities in air: basically inert, it reacts with fluorine and some other elements under special conditions: symbol, Kr; at. no., 36

Etymology: ModL: so named (1898) by Sir William Ramsay and M. W. Travers (1872-1961), Brit chemists, its discoverers < Gr krypton, neut. of kryptos, hidden (see crypt), in ref. to their difficulty in isolating it

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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