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lithium definition

lith·i·um (lit̸h′ē əm)

noun

  1. a soft, silver-white, metallic chemical element, one of the alkali metals and the lightest known metal: used in thermonuclear explosives, in metallurgy, etc.: symbol, Li; at. no., 3
  2. Informal any of various antidepressants containing lithium, esp. lithium carbonate

Etymology: ModL: name coined (1818) by Baron Jöns Jakob Berzelius for element discovered (1817) by his student A. Arfwedson (1792-1841), Swed chemist < lithia + -ium

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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