lanthanum

lan·tha·num

a soft, malleable, silvery chemical element, one of the rare-earth elements and the first member of the lanthanide series: symbol, La; at. no. 57

Origin of lanthanum

ModL: so named (1839) by C. G. Mosander, Swedish chemist (see erbium) from lanthana, lanthanum oxide, literally , the hidden one from Classical Greek lanthanein, to be hidden (see latent): it had previously been undetected in the mineral cerite

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"lanthanum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lanthanum>.

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lanthanum. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lanthanum

lanthanum

noun

A soft, silvery-white, malleable, ductile element of the lanthanide series, obtained chiefly from the minerals monazite and bastnaesite and used in glass manufacture and with other rare-earth elements in carbon lights for movie and television studio lighting. Atomic number 57; atomic weight 138.91; melting point 920°C; boiling point 3,464°C; specific gravity 6.145 (at 25°C); valence 2, 3. See Periodic Table.

Origin of lanthanum

New Latin from Greek lanthanein to escape notice (from the finding of the element hidden in oxide of cerium)

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"lanthanum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lanthanum>.

APA Style

lanthanum. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lanthanum

Symbol La

A soft, malleable, silvery-white metallic element of the lanthanide series. It is used to make glass for lenses and lights for movie and television studios. Atomic number 57; atomic weight 138.91; melting point 920°C; boiling point 3,469°C; specific gravity 5.98 to 6.186; valence 3.

See Periodic Table

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MLA Style

"lanthanum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lanthanum>.

APA Style

lanthanum. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lanthanum

Noun

(uncountable)

A metallic chemical element (symbol La) with an atomic number of 57.

Related terms

Origin

From Ancient Greek Î»Î±Î½Î¸Î¬Î½Ï‰ (lanthanÅ, “escape notice"), because it had gone long undetected in mineral ores.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"lanthanum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/lanthanum>.

APA Style

lanthanum. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/lanthanum

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