zirconium Hear it!

zirconium definition

zir·co·nium (zər kō′nē əm)

noun

a hard, ductile, gray or black, metallic chemical element found combined in zircon, etc., and used in alloys, ceramics, the cladding for nuclear fuel in reactors, etc.: symbol, Zr; at. no., 40
see the periodic table of elements in the Reference Supplement

Etymology: ModL < zirconia + -ium: name proposed (1808) by Sir Humphry Davy for element later isolated (1824) by Baron Jöns Jakob Berzelius

Related Forms:

  • zirconic zir·con′ic (-kän′ik) adjective

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