SM
Sm
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
sm.
S.M.
< Neo-Latin Scientiae Magister.
S.&M.
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
| sm | |
| —the internet domain name for | |
| San Marino | |
| Sm | |
| —the chemical symbol for | |
| samarium | |
| SM | |
| —abbreviation for | |
| 1. | sergeant major |
| 2. | sadomasochism |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Sm
The symbol for the element samarium.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
samarium  (sə-mâr'ē-əm) Pronunciation Key
Symbol Sm A silvery-white metallic element of the lanthanide series that exists in several forms and has seven naturally occurring isotopes. It is used to make glass that absorbs infrared light and to absorb neutrons in the fuel rods of nuclear reactors. Atomic number 62; atomic weight 150.36; melting point 1,072°C; boiling point 1,791°C; specific gravity approximately 7.50; valence 2, 3. See Periodic Table. |
| Sm
The symbol for samarium. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
| sm Samoan |
Sm
|
SM
|
| sm. small |
| S-M sadomasochism |
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
sm
(Sm), chemical element, rare-earth metal of the lanthanoid series of the periodic table. Samarium is silvery white in colour and is relatively stable in air. It was isolated as an impure oxide and spectroscopically identified as a new element (1879) by P.-E. Lecoq de Boisbaudran. Samarium occurs in many other rare-earth minerals but is almost exclusively obtained from monazite; it is also found in the products of nuclear fission. Ion-exchange techniques are used for its commercial separation and purification. The metal is conveniently prepared by the thermoreduction of its oxide, Sm2O3, with lanthanum metal, followed by distillation of the samarium metal, which is one of the most volatile rare-earth elements. Several allotropes (structural forms) of samarium exist; at room temperature its structure is rhombohedral
Learn more about Sm with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
