lithium
/ˈlɪθi.əm/ noun, proper noun
Forms lithiums
- noun (chemistry, uncountable) The simplest alkali metal, the lightest solid element, and the third lightest chemical element (symbol Li) with an atomic number of 3 and atomic weight of 6.94. It is a soft, silvery metal. “The importance of lithium-ion batteries makes lithium a potentially strategic natural resource.”
- noun (countable) A single atom of this element.
- noun (pharmacology, uncountable) Lithium carbonate or other preparations of lithium metal used as a mood stabiliser to treat manic depression and bipolar disorders. “It seems like his moods are better since he started taking lithium.”
- noun (countable) A lithium battery.
- proper noun An inactive village in Perry County, Missouri.
Synonyms
Etymology
From New Latin lithium, from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”) + -ium.
From one of the place's two natural mineral springs containing lithium salts.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A metallic element of the alkaline group, occurring in several minerals, as petalite, spodumene, lepidolite, triphylite, etc., and otherwise widely disseminated, though in small quantities.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lithium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details