molybdenum
n. uncountablen. a hard, silver-white metal used to make strong steel and other materials. It is often found in rocks and is very useful in machines and engines.
n. a hard, silver-white, metallic element with a high melting point, used in alloys to increase strength and resistance to heat. It is typically found in minerals such as molybdenite.
The engine block is made of a steel alloy containing molybdenum.
Engineers added molybdenum to the alloy to ensure the turbine blades could withstand the extreme temperatures of the jet engine.
While molybdenum is relatively rare in the Earth's crust, its unique properties make it an essential component in high-performance industrial applications, particularly in the aerospace and automotive sectors.
From New Latin molybdaenum, from molybdaena (“any of various substances resembling lead”), from Ancient Greek μολύβδαινα (molúbdaina, “a plummet, piece of lead”), from μόλυβδος (mólubdos, “lead; graphite”), from an Anatolian word cognate with Lydian 𐤪𐤠𐤭𐤦𐤥𐤣𐤠 (mariwda, “dark”), from Proto-Indo-European morkʷ-iyo-, from a root morkʷ- (“dark”), cognate with English murk. Cf. Latin plumbum nigrum 'lead'. The suffix is + -um (“a chemical element”). Attested since the last quarter of 18th century.