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tantalum in British English
(ˈtæntələm)
noun
a hard greyish-white metallic element that occurs with niobium in tantalite and columbite: used in electrical capacitors in most circuit boards and in alloys to increase hardness and chemical resistance, esp in surgical instruments. Symbol: Ta; atomic no: 73; atomic wt: 180.9479; valency: 2, 3, 4, or 5; relative density: 16.654; melting pt: 3020°C; boiling pt: 5458±100°C
Word origin
C19: named after Tantalus, with reference to the metal's incapacity to absorb acidstantalum in American English
(ˈtæntələm)
noun
a hard, gray, ductile, corrosion-resistant, metallic chemical element found in various minerals and usedin making nuclear reactors, chemical equipment, missiles, electronic components, etc.: symbol, Ta; at. no., 73
Word origin
ModL: so named (1802) by its discoverer, Anders Gustaf Ekeberg (1767-1813), Swed chemist< Gr Tantalos, Tantalus (its insolubility in most acids made extraction from the mineral tantalizing) + -iumImage oftantalum
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