sodium

[soh-dee-uh m] /ˈsoʊ di əm/

noun

Chemistry. a soft, silver-white, metallic element that oxidizes rapidly in moist air, occurring in nature only in the combined state, and used in the synthesis of sodium peroxide, sodium cyanide, and tetraethyllead: a necessary element in the body for the maintenance of normal fluid balance and other physiological functions. Symbol: Na; atomic weight: 22.9898; atomic number: 11; specific gravity: 0.97 at 20°C.

Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology. any salt of sodium, as sodium chloride or sodium bicarbonate, present in or added to foods or beverages as a seasoning or preservative and used in many pharmaceutical products as an antacid, anticoagulant, or other agent.

Origin

1800-10; < Neo-Latin; see soda, -ium

Examples from the web for sodium

Canned or packaged broth is handy for adding flavor, but it can have loads of sodium.
Imagine potato chips with all the flavor but far less sodium.
The positrons were captured from a radioactive sodium source.
Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, serves as both a cleaner and a deodorizer.
The gorillas visit the area regularly to eat aquatic herbs, some of which are high in sodium.
Baking soda, also called bicarbonate of soda or sodium bicarbonate, lifts stains from fabric.
sodium bicarbonate is a natural mineral popular in baking and commonly referred to as baking soda.
Diuretics cause the kidneys to remove sodium and water from the body, thereby alleviating pressure on the blood vessel walls.
The one that is positive, because it has too much sodium, thus draws chloride ions from the stream that is to be purified.
They have to be cooled with liquid sodium, rather than water.

British Dictionary definitions for sodium

sodium

/ˈsəʊdɪəm/

noun

a very reactive soft silvery-white element of the alkali metal group occurring principally in common salt, Chile saltpetre, and cryolite. Sodium and potassium ions maintain the essential electrolytic balance in living cells. It is used in the production of chemicals, in metallurgy, and, alloyed with potassium, as a cooling medium in nuclear reactors. Symbol: Na; atomic no: 11; atomic wt: 22.989768; valency: 1; relative density: 0.971; melting pt: 97.81±0.03°C; boiling pt: 892.9°C
(as modifier): sodium light

Word Origin

C19: New Latin, from soda + -ium

Word Origin and History for sodium

metallic alkaline element, 1807, coined by English chemist Humphry Davy from soda; so called because the element was isolated from caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). The chemical symbol Na is from natrium, alternative name for the element proposed by Berzelius from natron, a name of a type of soda.

sodium in Medicine

sodium so·di·um (sō'dē-əm)
n.
Symbol Na
A soft, light, highly reactive metallic element that is naturally abundant, especially in common salt. Atomic number 11; atomic weight 22.99; melting point 97.7°C; boiling point 883°C; specific gravity 0.971; valence 1.

sodium in Science

sodium

(sō'dē-əm)
Symbol Na
A soft, lightweight, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali group that reacts explosively with water. It is the most abundant alkali metal on Earth, occurring especially in common salt. Sodium is very malleable, and its compounds have many important uses in industry. Atomic number 11; atomic weight 22.99; melting point 97.8°C; boiling point 892°C; specific gravity 0.971; valence 1. See Periodic Table.