vanadium
/vəˈneɪdi.əm/ noun
Forms vanadiums
- noun A chemical element (symbol V) with atomic number 23; it is a transition metal, used in the production of special steels.
- noun (countable) An atom of this element.
Synonyms
Etymology
Mid 19th century, from New Latin vanadium.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A rare element of the nitrogen-phosphorus group, found combined, in vanadates, in certain minerals, and reduced as an infusible, grayish-white metallic powder. It is intermediate between the metals and the non-metals, having both basic and acid properties.
Etymology [NL., fr. Icel. Vanadis, a surname of the Scandinavian goddess Freya.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “vanadium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details