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thorium definition

tho·rium (t̸hôr′ē əm)

noun

a rare, grayish, radioactive, metallic chemical element, one of the actinides, found in monazite and thorite: it is used in magnesium alloys, the making of gas mantles, electronic equipment, etc., and as a nuclear fuel: symbol, Th; at. no., 90

Etymology: ModL: so named (1829) by Baron Jöns Jakob Berzelius, its discoverer < ON Thorr (see Thor) + -ium

Related Forms:

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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