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tellurium
noun
tel·lu·ri·um
tə-ˈlu̇r-ē-əm
te-
: a semimetallic element that occurs in a silvery-white brittle crystalline form of metallic luster, in a dark amorphous form, or combined with metals and that is used especially in alloys and catalysts see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of tellurium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Rio Tinto Kennecott website says the facility mines copper, gold, silver, molybdenum and tellurium.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
The area is characterized by anomalous base and precious metals in addition to porphyry pathfinder elements such as molybdenum and tellurium, in all geological materials sampled and geophysics suggests the magnitude and geometry of a large intrusive body at depth.
—Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
For tellurite glass, as its structure was reformed, seeds consisting of clusters of tellurium atoms formed, and eventually grew into tellurium nanocrystals as the glass phase decomposed.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Feb. 2024
However, glass made, in part, from the element tellurium (two down and two over from silicon on the periodic table) has a peculiar and newly-discovered property.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Feb. 2024
In the debris, JWST spotted tellurium atoms (52 protons), which confirms that neutron star mergers can forge the rather heavy elements toward the end of the fifth row of the periodic table.
—Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
Two decades ago, combinations such as lead and tellurium yielded ZT values of around 1.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Dec. 2023
These are made up of one of more than a dozen transition metals (M) along with one of the three chalcogenides (X): sulfur, selenium, or tellurium.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2020
In Utah, a mine has begun producing tellurium.
—Dionne Searcey Arin Yoon, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tellurium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Latin tellur-, tellus earth
First Known Use
1800, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near tellurium
Cite this Entry
“Tellurium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tellurium. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
tellurium
noun
tel·lu·ri·um
tə-ˈlu̇r-ē-əm
te-
: an element that occurs in a silvery white brittle form having a metallic shine or in combination with metals and is used especially in alloys and catalysts see element
Medical Definition
tellurium
noun
tel·lu·ri·um
tə-ˈlu̇r-ē-əm, te-
: a semimetallic element related to selenium and sulfur that occurs in a silvery white brittle crystalline form of metallic luster, in a dark amorphous form, or combined with metals and that is used especially in alloys
—symbol Te
see Chemical Elements Table
More from Merriam-Webster on tellurium
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tellurium
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