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lanthanum
noun
lan·tha·num
ˈlan(t)-thə-nəm
: a white soft malleable metallic element that occurs in rare-earth minerals see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of lanthanum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At present, the ‘hottest’ superconductor of any kind is considered to be lanthanum decahydride, a member of the super-hydride class that is proven to be a high-pressure, conventional superconductor at temperatures of up to at least 250 kelvin.
—Davide Castelvecchi, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023
To make the first one, lanthanum, start with a barium atom and add one proton and one electron.
—Stanley Merzman, Discover Magazine, 21 Aug. 2018
Adding one more electron – to make lanthanum, the first in the series of rare earth elements – puts that electron in the fifth circle.
—Stanley Merzman, Discover Magazine, 21 Aug. 2018
Chinese-mined rare earths like lanthanum are widely used by Western weapons producers for armor-piercing ammunition.
—Jonathan Tirone, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2023
The ceramic mix of Dr. Müller and Bednorz — lanthanum barium copper oxide — was a superconductor at slightly higher temperatures, around minus-400 degrees.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2023
The Prius gets its juice from a battery pack that contains about 20 pounds of lanthanum, which shuttles electrons between the battery’s positive and negative terminals.
—Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2011
The 17 rare earth metals, some with exotic names like lanthanum and europium, form unusually strong lightweight magnetic materials.
—Eliza Strickland, Discover Magazine, 15 Oct. 2010
The lanthanide and actinide series — those two rows floating by themselves, named after their first members, lanthanum and actinium — are isolated like that as a concession to limited space.
—Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lanthanum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Lanthanum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lanthanum. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
lanthanum
noun
lan·tha·num
ˈlan(t)-thə-nəm
: a white soft metallic element see element
Medical Definition
lanthanum
noun
lan·tha·num
-nəm
: a white soft malleable metallic element that occurs in rare-earth minerals
—symbol La
see Chemical Elements Table
More from Merriam-Webster on lanthanum
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lanthanum
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