Tellurium

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Tellurium \Tel*lu"ri*um\, n. [NL., from L. tellus, -uris, the
     earth.] (Chem.)
     A rare nonmetallic element, analogous to sulphur and
     selenium, occasionally found native as a substance of a
     silver-white metallic luster, but usually combined with
     metals, as with gold and silver in the mineral sylvanite,


     with mercury in Coloradoite, etc. Symbol Te. Atomic weight
     125.2.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Graphic tellurium}. (Min.) See {Sylvanite}.
  
     {Tellurium glance} (Min.), nagyagite; -- called also {black
        tellurium}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  tellurium
       n : a brittle silver-white metalloid element that is related to
           selenium and sulfur; it is used in alloys and as a
           semiconductor; occurs mainly as tellurides in ores of
           copper and nickel and silver and gold [syn: {Te}, {atomic
           number 52}]

From Elements database 20001107 [elements]:

  tellurium
  Symbol: Te
  Atomic number: 52
  Atomic weight: 127.60
  Silvery metalloid element of group 16. Eight natural isotopes, nine
  radioactive isotopes. Used in semiconductors and to a degree in some
  steels. Chemistry is similar to {sulphur}. Discovered in 1782 by Franz
  Miller.