rubidium
/ˌɹuːˈbɪd.i.əm/ noun
Forms rubidiums
- noun (uncountable) The chemical element (symbol Rb) with an atomic number of 37. It is a soft, highly reactive alkali metal.
- noun (countable) A single atom of this element.
Synonyms
Etymology
A New Latin word derived by German chemist R. W. Bunsen in 1861, from Latin rūbidus (“red”) because its spectrum has two red lines.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A rare metallic element. It occurs quite widely, but in small quantities, and always combined. It is isolated as a soft yellowish white metal, analogous to potassium in most of its properties. Symbol Rb. Atomic weight, 85.2.
Etymology [NL., fr. L. rubidus red, fr. rubere to be red. So called from two dark red spectroscopic lines by means of which it was discovered in the lepidolite from Rozena, Moravia. See Rubicund.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rubidium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details