niobium
noun
ni·o·bi·um nī-ˈō-bē-əm 
: a lustrous light gray ductile metallic element that resembles tantalum chemically and is used in alloys see Chemical Elements Table
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Several components of the cars themselves are made of niobium with makes for stronger, lighter and more sustainable cars, with better energy efficiency. 
Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 6 July 2022 Similarly, Rolex’s Parachrom balance spring, introduced in 2005 (niobium, zirconium, oxygen, altogether un-magnetizable), has given its watches significant advantages. Alex Doak, Wired, 30 Dec. 2021 Discovered in 1911 by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, the original superconductors were chunks of elemental metals, such as mercury and niobium, cooled to a few degrees above absolute zero. Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2021 The firm's Rare Metals division produces, reclaims, refines, and markets high-value niche metals and compounds that include gallium, indium, rhenium, tantalum, niobium, and hafnium. Moneyshow, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2021 Metallic superconductors such as pure aluminum or niobium, for example, have extremely low critical temperatures, typically only a few degrees above absolute zero. Jennifer Hackett, Scientific American, 17 Dec. 2015 The Estonian material, on the other hand, is a byproduct of tantalum and niobium production at a metals plant near the Baltic Sea. Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Sep. 2020 One answer is niobium, a metal almost exclusively supplied by the South American country. Mark Olalde, USA TODAY, 11 July 2020 It is made from a C-103 niobium alloy, a fairly strong material. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 June 2020 See More
Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 6 July 2022 Similarly, Rolex’s Parachrom balance spring, introduced in 2005 (niobium, zirconium, oxygen, altogether un-magnetizable), has given its watches significant advantages. Alex Doak, Wired, 30 Dec. 2021 Discovered in 1911 by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, the original superconductors were chunks of elemental metals, such as mercury and niobium, cooled to a few degrees above absolute zero. Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2021 The firm's Rare Metals division produces, reclaims, refines, and markets high-value niche metals and compounds that include gallium, indium, rhenium, tantalum, niobium, and hafnium. Moneyshow, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2021 Metallic superconductors such as pure aluminum or niobium, for example, have extremely low critical temperatures, typically only a few degrees above absolute zero. Jennifer Hackett, Scientific American, 17 Dec. 2015 The Estonian material, on the other hand, is a byproduct of tantalum and niobium production at a metals plant near the Baltic Sea. Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Sep. 2020 One answer is niobium, a metal almost exclusively supplied by the South American country. Mark Olalde, USA TODAY, 11 July 2020 It is made from a C-103 niobium alloy, a fairly strong material. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 June 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Latin Niobe; from its occurrence in tantalite
First Known Use
1845, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
niobium
noun
ni·o·bi·um nī-ˈō-bē-əm
: a lustrous light gray ductile metallic element that resembles tantalum chemically and is used in alloys —symbol Nb
called also columbium
see Chemical Elements Table