Helium is a very light gas that is colourless and has no smell.
helium in British English
(ˈhiːlɪəm)
noun
a very light nonflammable colourless odourless element that is an inert gas, occurring in certain natural gases: used in balloons and in cryogenic research. Symbol: He; atomic no: 2; atomic wt: 4.002602; density: 0.1785 kg/m3; at normal pressures it is liquid down to absolute zero; melting pt: below –272.2°C; boiling pt: –268.90°C
See also alpha particle
Word origin
C19: New Latin, from helio- + -ium; named from its having first been detected in the solar spectrum
helium in American English
(ˈhiliəm)
noun
a colorless, odorless chemical element, one of the noble gases, having the lowest known boiling and melting points: it is used in low-temperaturework, as a diluent for oxygen, in deep-sea breathing systems, for inflating balloons, etc.: symbol, He; at. no., 2
Word origin
ModL < Gr hēlios: see Helios
Examples of 'helium' in a sentence
helium
The tiny figure sounds as though it has inhaled helium but is no less engaging for that.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This shed light on the previously enigmatic origin of the elements heavier than helium in the periodic table.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
One second is also the time at which conditions in the early universe determined the universal abundance of the element helium.
Barrow, John D. The Origin of the Universe (1995)
Everyone is familiar with helium gas.
Stewart Lamont WHEN SCOTLAND RULED THE WORLD: The Story of the Golden Age of Genius, Creativityand Exploration (2002)
Episode one: lifting a house with a giant cluster of helium balloons.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Word lists with
helium
chemical, Types of gas
In other languages
helium
British English: helium NOUN
Helium is a very light gas that is colourless and has no smell.