Word
halogen
Phoneticshalo·gen
US/ˈhæɫədʒən/
UK/hˈælədʒən/
Definition
n. a group of chemical elements that are very reactive and often used in things like light bulbs and cleaning products. They include elements like fluorine, chlorine, and iodine.
n. any of the elements in group 17 of the periodic table, characterized by high reactivity and the tendency to form salts. Includes fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.
Examples
“Chlorine is a common halogen used for disinfecting water.”
“The chemist explained that halogens are highly reactive and must be handled with care in the laboratory.”
“The unique electronic configuration of halogens allows them to readily accept an additional electron, making them powerful oxidizing agents in various industrial applications.”
Examples
simple
“Chlorine is a common halogen used for disinfecting water.”
contextual
“The chemist explained that halogens are highly reactive and must be handled with care in the laboratory.”
complex
“The unique electronic configuration of halogens allows them to readily accept an additional electron, making them powerful oxidizing agents in various industrial applications.”
Real-World Examples
“Older halogen setups, particularly the reflector housings common through the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, produced a comparatively soft, warm beam with limited reach.” “This is sometimes done with butane or alcohol heaters, and sometimes with heat from an adjustable halogen bulb, as is the case with these Yama Brewers .” Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἅλς (háls, “salt" or "sea”) + γεν- (gen-), "to produce" (coined by Berzelius in 1842). By surface analysis, halo- (“salt”) + -gen (“forming”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/halogen