lanthanum
noun
lan·tha·num ˈlan(t)-thə-nəm 
: a white soft malleable metallic element that occurs in rare-earth minerals see Chemical Elements Table
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In fact, Boeri and colleagues published a paper in Physical Review B on 15 July predicting that lanthanum borohydride (LaBH8) could superconduct at 126 K under just 50 GPa of pressure. 
Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2021 Egyptian glasses tended to have higher levels of lanthanum, zirconium and titanium, while Near Eastern glasses tended to have more chromium. Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Nov. 2021 The first class includes repeating cagelike structures made from hydrogen atoms, with each cage enclosing an electron-rich metal atom, such as lanthanum or yttrium. Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2021 In the mid-1980s, experiments with copper oxides with the elements lanthanum and barium broke the longstanding temperature record by several degrees, being found to superconduct at temperatures greater than 30 K. Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 7 July 2021 Over the next 3 years, Eremets and others boosted the Tc as high as 250 K in hydrides containing the heavy metal lanthanum. Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2021 The composition of the deposit, however, is such that more than three-quarters of the rare earth elements are the light rare earths cerium and lanthanum, used in oil refining equipment and catalytic converters in internal combustion engine vehicles. Mary Hui, Quartz, 15 July 2021 The problem is that while demand for praseodymium and neodymium is high there is limited demand for other elements which are mined in conjunction, such as cerium and lanthanum. Tim Treadgold, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021 Ferrocerium is an alloy made from iron, along with cerium, lanthanum, and several other rare-earth minerals. Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, 2 Dec. 2020 See More
Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2021 Egyptian glasses tended to have higher levels of lanthanum, zirconium and titanium, while Near Eastern glasses tended to have more chromium. Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Nov. 2021 The first class includes repeating cagelike structures made from hydrogen atoms, with each cage enclosing an electron-rich metal atom, such as lanthanum or yttrium. Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2021 In the mid-1980s, experiments with copper oxides with the elements lanthanum and barium broke the longstanding temperature record by several degrees, being found to superconduct at temperatures greater than 30 K. Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 7 July 2021 Over the next 3 years, Eremets and others boosted the Tc as high as 250 K in hydrides containing the heavy metal lanthanum. Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 26 Aug. 2021 The composition of the deposit, however, is such that more than three-quarters of the rare earth elements are the light rare earths cerium and lanthanum, used in oil refining equipment and catalytic converters in internal combustion engine vehicles. Mary Hui, Quartz, 15 July 2021 The problem is that while demand for praseodymium and neodymium is high there is limited demand for other elements which are mined in conjunction, such as cerium and lanthanum. Tim Treadgold, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021 Ferrocerium is an alloy made from iron, along with cerium, lanthanum, and several other rare-earth minerals. Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, 2 Dec. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek lanthanein to escape notice — more at latent
First Known Use
1841, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
lanthanum
noun
lan·tha·num -nəm
: a white soft malleable metallic element that occurs in rare-earth minerals —symbol La see Chemical Elements Table