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thorium

[thawr-ee-uhm, thohr-]

Origin

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noun Chemistry.

a grayish-white, lustrous, somewhat ductile and malleable, radioactive metallic element present in monazite: used as a source of nuclear energy, as a coating on sun-lamp and vacuum-tube filament coatings, and in alloys. Symbol: Th; atomic weight: 232.038; atomic number: 90; specific gravity: 11.7.

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Compare thoria.

Origin:
< Neo-Latin (1829); see Thor, -ium

Related forms

thor·ic

[thawr-ik, thor-] , adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Thorium is always a great word to know.

So is scavenger. Does it mean:

a compound of high molecular weight made by adding many smaller molecules or by condensation smaller molecules with the elimination of water or alcohol

a chemical that consumes or renders inactive the impurities in a mixture

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Collins

World English Dictionary

thorium (ˈθɔːrɪəm)

—n
	a soft ductile silvery-white metallic element. It is radioactive and occurs in thorite and monazite: used in gas mantles, magnesium alloys, electronic equipment, and as a nuclear power source. Symbol: Th; atomic no: 90; atomic wt: 232.0381; half-life of most stable isotope, ²³²Th: 1.41 × 10¹⁰ years; valency: 4; relative density: 11.72; melting pt: 1755°C; boiling pt: 4788°C

[C19: New Latin, from Thor + -ium]

'thoric

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

thorium

rare metallic element, 1832, from Mod.L., named 1828-9 by its discoverer, Swed. chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius (1779-1848) in honor of the Scand. god Thor (q.v.).

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

thorium tho·ri·um (thôr'ē-əm)
n.
Symbol Th
A radioactive metallic element that is used in magnesium alloys; its longest-lived isotope, Th 232, has a half-life of 1.41 × 10¹⁰ years. Atomic number 90; atomic weight 232.038; approximate melting point 1,750°C; approximate boiling point 4,800°C; approximate specific gravity 11.7; valence 4.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

thorium

(thôr'ē-əm) Pronunciation Key
Symbol Th
A silvery-white, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series. It is used for fuel in some nuclear reactors and for improving the high-temperature strength of magnesium alloys. The only naturally occurring isotope of thorium, Th 232, is also its most stable, having a half-life of 14.1 billion years. Atomic number 90; atomic weight 232.038; approximate melting point 1,750°C; approximate boiling point 4,500°C; approximate specific gravity 11.7; valence 4. See Periodic Table.

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