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Webster 1828 Edition

Molybdenum

MOLYB'DENUM

,
Noun.
A metal which has not been reduced into masses of any magnitude, but has been obtained only in small separate globules, in a blackish, brilliant mass. These are brittle and extremely infusible.
The most common natural compound of this metal is a sulphuret.

Definition 2024

molybdenum

molybdenum

English

Chemical element
Mo Previous: niobium (Nb)
Next: technetium (Tc)
Molybdenum cube and fragment.

Noun

molybdenum ‎(countable and uncountable, plural molybdenums or molybdena)

  1. A metallic chemical element (symbol Mo) with an atomic number of 42.
    • 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 4, in Well Tackled!:
      Technical terms like ferrite, perlite, graphite, and hardenite were bandied to and fro, and when Paget glibly brought out such a rare exotic as ferro-molybdenum, Benson forgot that he was a master ship-builder, […]
  2. A single atom of this element.
    a quadruple bond between molybdenums

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

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Etymology

From New Latin molybdenum, from Ancient Greek μόλυβδος ‎(mólubdos, “lead”), because the two elements are so similar they were often confused.

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