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

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.