beryllium

[buh-ril-ee-uhm] Origin

be·ryl·li·um

[buh-ril-ee-uhm]
noun Chemistry.
a steel-gray, bivalent, hard, light, metallic element, the salts of which are sweet: used chiefly in copper alloys for better fatigue endurance, in springs, and in electrical contacts. Symbol: Be; atomic weight: 9.0122; atomic number: 4; specific gravity: 1.8 at 20° C.

Origin:
1860–65; < Latin bēryll(us) beryl + -ium
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Beryllium is always a great word to know.
So is asymmetric. Does it mean:
having an unsymmetrical arrangement of atoms in a molecule, or noting a carbon atom bonded to four different atoms or groups
existing as free, uncombined atoms
Collins
World English Dictionary
beryllium (bɛˈrɪlɪəm)
 
n
glucinum, Former names: glucinium a corrosion-resistant toxic silvery-white metallic element that occurs chiefly in beryl and is used mainly in X-ray windows and in the manufacture of alloys. Symbol: Be; atomic no: 4; atomic wt: 9.012; valency: 2; relative density: 1.848; melting pt: 1289°C; boiling pt: 2472°C
 
[C19: from Latin bēryllus, from Greek bērullos]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

beryllium
metallic element, 1863, so called because it figures in the composition of beryl and was obtained by isolation from emerald (green beryl) in 1797 by Fr. chemist Louis Nicolas Vauquelin (1763-1829).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

beryllium be·ryl·li·um (bə-rĭl'ē-əm)
n.
Symbol Be
A lightweight, corrosion-resistant metallic element used as an aerospace structural material, as a moderator and reflector in nuclear reactors, and in a copper alloy for springs and electrical contacts. Atomic number 4; atomic weight 9.0122; melting point 1,278°C; boiling point 2,471°C; specific gravity 1.848; valence 2.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
beryllium   (bə-rĭl'ē-əm)  Pronunciation Key 
Symbol Be
A hard, lightweight, steel-gray metallic element of the alkaline-earth group, found in various minerals, especially beryl. It has a high melting point and is corrosion-resistant. Beryllium is used to make sturdy, lightweight alloys and aerospace structural materials. It is also used as a neutron moderator in nuclear reactors. Atomic number 4; atomic weight 9.0122; melting point 1,278°C; boiling point 2,970°C; specific gravity 1.848; valence 2. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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