Word
molybdenum
Phoneticsmolyb·de·num
US/məˈɫɪbdɪnəm/
UK/məlˈɪbdənəm/
Definition
n. 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.
Examples
“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.”
Examples
simple
“The engine block is made of a steel alloy containing molybdenum.”
contextual
“Engineers added molybdenum to the alloy to ensure the turbine blades could withstand the extreme temperatures of the jet engine.”
complex
“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.”
Real-World Examples
“The nitrogenase turned out to be the simplest known example of the enzyme yet studied, while also combining structural features from all three major nitrogenase families: molybdenum, vanadium and iron-only forms.” “The research team coated the surface of a common membrane with an ultrathin layer of the 2D material molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), enabling the membrane to capture DNA in water more effectively.” Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
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englishreference.com/q/molybdenum