vanadium

[vuh-ney-dee-uh m] /vəˈneɪ di əm/
noun, Chemistry
1.
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.
Origin
< Neo-Latin (1830) < Icelandic Vanad(ís) epithet of Freya (Vana, genitive of Vanir Vanir + dís goddess) + Neo-Latin -ium -ium
Examples from the web for vanadium
  • The color comes from additional traces of chromium and vanadium.
  • He's also a fan of vanadium-redox batteries, which are large tanks with flowing electrolytes.
  • Zinc bromide and vanadium redox flow batteries are other promising technologies.
  • Confused about using electrochemistry and its use with vanadium compounds.
British Dictionary definitions for vanadium

vanadium

/vəˈneɪdɪəm/
noun
1.
a toxic silvery-white metallic element occurring chiefly in carnotite and vanadinite and used in steel alloys, high-speed tools, and as a catalyst. Symbol: V; atomic no: 23; atomic wt: 50.9415; valency: 2–5; relative density: 6.11; melting pt: 1910±10°C; boiling pt: 3409°C
Word Origin
C19: New Latin, from Old Norse Vanadis, epithet of the goddess Freya + -ium
Word Origin and History for vanadium
n.

rare metallic element, 1833, named 1830 by Swedish chemist Nils Gabriel Sefström (1787-1845), from Old Norse Vanadis, one of the names of the Norse beauty goddess Freyja (see Freya), perhaps because of its colorful compounds.

vanadium in Medicine

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.

vanadium in Science
vanadium
  (və-nā'dē-əm)   
Symbol V
A soft, bright-white metallic element that occurs naturally in several minerals. It has good structural strength and is used especially to make strong varieties of steel. 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 Periodic Table.