mag·ne·si·um

[mag-nee-zee-uhm, -zhuhm, -shee-uhm]
noun Chemistry.
a light, ductile, silver-white, metallic element that burns with a dazzling white light, used in lightweight alloys, flares, fireworks, in the manufacture of flashbulbs, optical mirrors, and precision instruments, and as a zinc substitute in batteries. Symbol: Mg; atomic weight: 24.312; atomic number: 12; specific gravity: 1.74 at 20°C.

Origin:
1800–10; < Neo-Latin; see magnesia, -ium

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Magnesium is always a great word to know.
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a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
magnesium (mæɡˈniːzɪəm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a light silvery-white metallic element of the alkaline earth series that burns with an intense white flame, occurring principally in magnesite, dolomite, and carnallite: used in light structural alloys, flashbulbs, flares, and fireworks. Symbol: Mg; atomic no: 12; atomic wt: 24.3050; valency: 2; relative density: 1.738; melting pt: 650°C; boiling pt: 1090°C
 
[C19: New Latin, from magnesia]

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

magnesium
1808 (Humphry Davy), from magnesia.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

magnesium mag·ne·si·um (māg-nē'zē-əm, -zhəm)
n.
Symbol Mg
A light metallic element that burns with a brilliant white flame. Atomic number 12; atomic weight 24.305; melting point 649°C; boiling point 1,090°C; specific gravity 1.74 (at 20°C); 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
magnesium   (māg-nē'zē-əm)  Pronunciation Key 
Symbol Mg
A lightweight, moderately hard, silvery-white metallic element of the alkaline-earth group that burns with an intense white flame. It is an essential component of chlorophyll and is used in lightweight alloys, flash photography, and fireworks. Atomic number 12; atomic weight 24.305; melting point 649°C; boiling point 1,090°C; specific gravity 1.74 (at 20°C); valence 2. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Magnesium starters are ideal because they work even if they get wet.
It also serves as a storehouse for the body's calcium and other essential
  minerals, such as phosphorus and magnesium.
Everything else was aluminum, magnesium or other exotic light alloys.
Most of the remainder is metals such as aluminum, magnesium and calcium.
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