Definitions

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

  • noun A lustrous, grayish-white, strong, ductile metallic element obtained primarily from zircon and used in nuclear reactors because of its high resistance to corrosion, used in ceramic and refractory compounds, and alloyed with niobium, zinc, and other metals. Atomic number 40; atomic weight 91.22; melting point 1,855°C; boiling point 4,409°C; specific gravity 6.52 (at 20°C); valence 2, 3, 4. cross-reference: Periodic Table.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Chemical symbol, Zr; atomic weight, 89.6. The metal contained in zirconia.

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

  • noun (Chem.) A rare element of the carbon-silicon group, intermediate between the metals and nonmetals, obtained from the mineral zircon as a dark sooty powder, or as a gray metallic crystalline substance. Symbol Zr. Atomic weight, 90.4.

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

  • noun a metallic chemical element (symbol Zr) with an atomic number of 40.

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

  • noun a lustrous grey strong metallic element resembling titanium; it is used in nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber; it occurs in baddeleyite but is obtained chiefly from zircon

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From a New Latin coinage, from zircon.

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  • Zr

    December 2, 2007