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thallium Definition

thal·lium (t̸hal′ē əm)

noun

a rare, poisonous, bluish-gray, soft, metallic chemical element, used in making photoelectric cells, rat poisons, etc.: symbol, Tl; at. no. 81

Etymology: ModL: so named by Sir William Crookes, its discoverer < Gr thallos, young, green shoot (< thallein: see Thalia) because of its green spectral line

thallium Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

radioactive: Former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko may have been poisoned with " radioactive thallium " , the toxicologist treating him disclosed.

Modifies a noun

  • concentration: The proportionally lower thallium concentrations reported for these baby foods compared with previous data on food probably results from the improved LOD.
  • poisoning: Another - equally likely - is mild thallium poisoning, whose insidious symptoms include mental disturbances.

Browse dictionary entries near thallium

  1. ‹ thallic
  2. ‹ thalidomide
  3. ‹ Thalia
  4. ‹ thaler
  5. ‹ thalassic
  6. ‹ thalassemia
  7. ‹ thalamus
  8. ‹ thalamencephalon
  9. ‹ Thailand
  10. ‹ Thai
  1. thallophyte ›
  2. thallous ›
  3. thallus ›
  4. Thames ›
  5. than ›
  6. thanato- ›
  7. thanatology ›
  8. thanatophobia ›
  9. thanatopsis ›
  10. Thanatos ›