[vuh-ney-dee-uh
m] 
| a rare element occurring in certain minerals and obtained as a light-gray powder with a silvery luster or as a ductile metal: used as an ingredient of steel to toughen it and increase its shock resistance. Symbol: V; atomic weight: 50.942; atomic number: 23; specific gravity: 5.96. |
| va·na·di·um (və-nā'dē-əm) n. Symbol V A bright white, soft, ductile metallic element found in several minerals, notably vanadinite and carnotite, having good structural strength and used in rust-resistant high-speed tools, as a carbon stabilizer in some steels, as a titanium-steel bonding agent, and as a catalyst. Atomic number 23; atomic weight 50.942; melting point 1,890°C; boiling point 3,000°C; specific gravity 6.11; valence 2, 3, 4, 5. See Table at element. [From Old Norse Vanadīs, the goddess Freya; see wen-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
vanadium va·na·di·um (və-nā'dē-əm)
n.
Symbol V
A soft ductile metallic element, used in rust-resistant high-speed tools, as a carbon stabilizer in some steels, and as a catalyst. Atomic number 23; atomic weight 50.942; melting point 1,900°C; boiling point 3,400°C; specific gravity 6.11; valence 2, 3, 4, 5.