Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A nonmetallic element, red in powder form, black in vitreous form, and metallic gray in stable crystalline form, resembling sulfur and found as an impurity in pyrites or obtained as a byproduct of electrolytic copper refining. It is widely used in rectifiers, as a semiconductor, and in xerography. Its photovoltaic and photoconductive actions make it useful in photocells, photographic exposure meters, and solar cells. Atomic number 34; atomic weight 78.96; melting point (gray) 221°C; boiling point (gray) 685°C; specific gravity (gray) 4.79; (vitreous) 4.28; valence 2, 4, or 6. cross-reference: Periodic Table.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Chemical symbol, Se; atomic weight, 79.5. A non-metallic element extracted from the pyrite of Fahlun in Sweden, and discovered in 1818 by Berzelius.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Chem.) A nonmetallic element of the sulphur group of atomic number 34, analogous to sulphur in its compounds. It is found in small quantities with sulphur and some sulphur ores, and obtained in the free state as a dark reddish powder or crystalline mass, or as a dark metallic-looking substance. It exhibits under the action of light a remarkable variation in electric conductivity, and is used in certain electric apparatus. Symbol Se. Atomic weight 78.96.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A nonmetallic chemical element (symbol Se) with an atomic number of 34.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a toxic nonmetallic element related to sulfur and tellurium; occurs in several allotropic forms; a stable grey metallike allotrope conducts electricity better in the light than in the dark and is used in photocells; occurs in sulfide ores (as pyrite)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek selēnē, moon (from selas, light, brightness) + –ium.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

A New Latin word derived by Swedish chemist Berzelius in 1818, from Ancient Greek Σελήνη (selēnē, "moon").

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Examples

  • As I pointed out (but which whizzed 40,000 feet over your head), selenium is also "necessary for life", but nonetheless a toxic pollutant at higher concentrations (and regulated by the EPA).

    Balkinization 2007

  • As I pointed out (but which whizzed 40,000 feet over your head), selenium is also "necessary for life", but nonetheless a toxic pollutant at higher concentrations (and regulated by the EPA).

    Balkinization 2007

  • As I pointed out (but which whizzed 40,000 feet over your head), selenium is also "necessary for life", but nonetheless a toxic pollutant at higher concentrations (and regulated by the EPA).

    Balkinization 2007

  • As I pointed out (but which whizzed 40,000 feet over your head), selenium is also "necessary for life", but nonetheless a toxic pollutant at higher concentrations (and regulated by the EPA).

    Balkinization 2007

  • As I pointed out (but which whizzed 40,000 feet over your head), selenium is also "necessary for life", but nonetheless a toxic pollutant at higher concentrations (and regulated by the EPA).

    Balkinization 2007

  • If he was just a little bit scientifically inclined, he'd also know that while selenium is an essential cofactor for enzymes necessary to life, it is nonetheless toxic pollutant at high concentrations, and subject to air pollution regulations.

    Balkinization 2007

  • If he was just a little bit scientifically inclined, he'd also know that while selenium is an essential cofactor for enzymes necessary to life, it is nonetheless toxic pollutant at high concentrations, and subject to air pollution regulations.

    Balkinization 2007

  • As I pointed out (but which whizzed 40,000 feet over your head), selenium is also "necessary for life", but nonetheless a toxic pollutant at higher concentrations (and regulated by the EPA).

    Balkinization 2007

  • If he was just a little bit scientifically inclined, he'd also know that while selenium is an essential cofactor for enzymes necessary to life, it is nonetheless toxic pollutant at high concentrations, and subject to air pollution regulations.

    Balkinization 2007

  • If he was just a little bit scientifically inclined, he'd also know that while selenium is an essential cofactor for enzymes necessary to life, it is nonetheless toxic pollutant at high concentrations, and subject to air pollution regulations.

    Balkinization 2007

Comments

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  • Se

    December 2, 2007